Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice (Nun Freut Euch) in Tonic Solfa
Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- NUN FREUT EUCH
- Words
- Martin Luther, Richard Massie
- Music
- Martin Luther
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune NUN FREUT EUCH by Martin Luther (1483–1546); words by Martin Luther (1483–1546); translated by Richard Massie (1800–1887). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dDear---dChrist--s,ians,- | done-fand-mall-rre-- |
| djoice,---__dWith- | rex--ful--mta--rtion- |
| l,spring--t,_-ding,--- | dAnd---dwith-s,u-- |
| dni--fted-mheart-rand- | dvoice---__dAnd- |
| rho--fly-mrap--rture- | l,sing--t,_-ding,--- |
| __dPro--fclaim-mthe- | fwon--sders-sGod-fehath- |
| sdone,---__sHow- | lhis-fright-sarm--fthe |
| mvic--rt'ry-dwon;--- | __mRight-rdear--s,ly- |
| dit-rhath-mcost-r_- | dhim.------- |
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Dear Christians, one and all rejoice,
With exultation springing,
And with united heart and voice
And holy rapture singing,
Proclaim the wonders God hath done,
How his right arm the vict'ry won;
Right dearly it hath cost him.
Fast bound in Satan's chains I lay.
Death brooded darkly o'er me;
Sin was my torment night and day,
Therein my mother bore me.
Deeper and deeper still I fell,
Life was become a living hell,
So firmly sin possessed me.
My good works could avail me naught,
For they with sin were stainéd;
Freewill against God's judgment fought,
And dead to good remainéd.
Grief drove me to despair, and I
Had nothing left me but to die,
To hell I fast was sinking.
God saw, in his eternal grace,
My sorrow out of measure;
He thought upon his tenderness
To save was his good pleasure.
He turn'd to me a Father's heart—
Not small the cost to heal my smart
He gave his best and dearest.
He spake to his beloved Son:
'Tis time to take compassion;
Then go, bright jewel of my crown,
And bring to man salvation;
From sin and sorrow set him free,
Slay bitter death for him, that he
May live with thee forever.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on d (G).
- Count the time. 4/4 means four crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t and the chromatic fe. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
The words are by Martin Luther, first published in 1523. The English translation is by Richard Massie (1854). The tune, NUN FREUT EUCH, is by Martin Luther (1524). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1523): Martin Luther (1483–1546)
- Translated (1854): Richard Massie (1800–1887)
- Music (1524): Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune NUN FREUT EUCH by Martin Luther (1483–1546); words by Martin Luther (1483–1546); translated by Richard Massie (1800–1887). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice (Nun Freut Euch)
What is the doh of Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice (Nun Freut Euch)?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice (Nun Freut Euch) start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice (Nun Freut Euch) in the public domain?
Yes. Martin Luther died in 1546, Richard Massie died in 1887, Martin Luther died in 1546; the words were first published in 1854 and the music in 1524. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.