Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God in Tonic Solfa
Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God in Tonic Solfa to SWEET HOUR, doh is Db: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dE- | mter--fnal,sspot--sless | lLamb-tofd'God,-lBe- | sfore-mthemworld'sr_dfoun- | rda--mtionrslain,-dSprin- |
| mkle-fussev--ser | lwith-tthyd'blood,-lO | scleanse,-mandmkeepr_dus | mev--rerdclean!-sTo |
| d'ev--teryd'soul-l(all | spraise-mtosthee!)-sOur | d'bow--telsd'of-lcom- | spas--msionrmove;-dAnd |
| mall-fman-skind-sby | lthis-tmayd'see-lGod | sis-minmusr_dfor | mGod-risdlove.- |
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- Key
- Db major
- Doh
- Db
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- d (D♭)
- Range
- d to d' (D♭ to D♭, an octave)
- Tune
- SWEET HOUR
- Words
- John Wesley
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Wesley (1703–1791). 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 Db · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Db major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Eternal, spotless Lamb of God,
Before the world's foundation slain,
Sprinkle us ever with thy blood,
O cleanse, and keep us ever clean!
To every soul (all praise to thee!)
Our bowels of compassion move;
And all mankind by this may see
God is in us; for God is love.
Giver and Lord of life, whose power
And guardian care for all are free,
To thee, in fierce temptation's hour,
From sin and Satan let us flee;
Thine, Lord, we are, and ours thou art,
In us be all thy goodness showed;
Renew, enlarge, and fill our heart
With peace, and joy, and heaven, and God.
Blessing and honour, praise and love,
Co-equal, co-eternal Three,
In earth below, and heaven above,
By all thy works be paid to thee!
Thrice Holy! thine the kingdom is,
The power omnipotent is thine,
And when created nature dies,
Thy never-ceasing glories shine.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Db 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 (D♭), on the first syllable of “Eternal”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 6/8 means two dotted-crotchet beats (six quavers) 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. 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
John Wesley wrote these words. John Wesley printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 237.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Long Metre Double (8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8), and this page sets them to SWEET HOUR; any other Long Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Music (1861): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Wesley (1703–1791).
Sung to the same tune: Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord, How Shall We Praise Thee, Lord of Light, Jesu, My Advocate Above, Lamp of Our Feet! Whose Hallowed Beam, O Holy Father! 'Mid the Calm, Sweet Hour of Prayer, The Spacious Firmament on High, Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear, When Dread Misfortune's Tempests Rise.
Questions about Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God
What is the doh of Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God?
In this version, in Db major, doh is Db. 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 Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God start on?
It starts on d (D♭ in Db major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Eternal” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God in the public domain?
Yes. John Wesley died in 1791, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1861. 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.