Draw Me Nearer in Tonic Solfa
Draw Me Nearer in Tonic Solfa to I AM THINE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mI-,fam | mThine,-rO-rLord,-rI-,mhave | rheard-dThy-dvoice,-dAnd-,t,it |
| l,told-l,Thy-l,love-dto-,l,_ | s,me;-----mBut-,fI |
| mlong-rto-rrise-rin-,mthe | rarms-dof-dfaith-rAndmbe |
| fclos--fer-t,drawn-t,to- | dThee.-----mDraw-,fme |
| snear----mer,--- | rnear-dert,bless-l,eds,Lord,-dTot,the |
| l,cross-dwhere-fThou-mhast- | rdied;-----mDraw-,fme |
| snear--ser,-mnear--mer,- | rnear-dert,bless-l,edfLord,-mTo-,rThy |
| dpre--dcious,-mbleed---ring | dside.----- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (C)
- Range
- s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- I AM THINE
- Words
- Fanny Crosby
- Music
- William H. Doane
Tune I AM THINE by William H. Doane (1832–1915); words by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915). Sources and licences.
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 message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
Doh is Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 m (C), on the word “I”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t. 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
Fanny Crosby wrote the words, published in 1875 with the tune I AM THINE by William H. Doane.
- Words (1875): Fanny Crosby (1820–1915)
- Music (1875): William H. Doane (1832–1915)
Tune I AM THINE by William H. Doane (1832–1915); words by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915).
Questions about Draw Me Nearer
What is the doh of Draw Me Nearer?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Draw Me Nearer start on?
It starts on m (C in Ab major), a pickup on the word “I” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Draw Me Nearer in the public domain?
Yes. Fanny Crosby died in 1915, William H. Doane died in 1915; the words were first published in 1875 and the music in 1875. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.