Face to Face in Tonic Solfa
Face to Face in Tonic Solfa to FACE TO FACE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Face--s,tol,faces,withm,Christ,dmy | dSa----t,viour,--_ |
| rFace--dtot,face—l,whats,willl,it | s,be,-----__ |
| s,When--s,withl,rap-s,turem,Idbe- | rhold---l,Him,-l,Je-l,sus |
| s,Christ-mwho-mdied--rfor | dme?-----__ |
| rFace--rtomfacerIdshallt,be- | dhold---mHim,--- |
| rFar--mbe-ryonddthet,star-l,ry | s,sky;-----__ |
| mFace--mtoffaceminralldHis | rglo----fry,-l,Il,shall |
| s,see-mHim-mby--rand | dby!------- |
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- Key
- Bb major
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (F)
- Range
- m, to f (D to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- FACE TO FACE
- Words
- Carrie E. Breck
- Music
- Grant Colfax Tullar
Tune FACE TO FACE by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869–1950); words by Carrie E. Breck (1855–1934). 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 Bb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Bb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Face to face with Christ, my Saviour,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ who died for me?
Refrain
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!
Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessed day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.
What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
Death is swallowed up in vict’ry,
And the dark things shall be plain.
Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ who loves me so.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 s, (F).
- 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. 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
Carrie E. Breck wrote the words, published in 1898 with the tune FACE TO FACE by Grant Colfax Tullar.
- Words (1898): Carrie E. Breck (1855–1934)
- Music (1898): Grant Colfax Tullar (1869–1950)
Tune FACE TO FACE by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869–1950); words by Carrie E. Breck (1855–1934).
Questions about Face to Face
What is the doh of Face to Face?
In this version, in Bb major, doh is Bb. 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 Face to Face start on?
It starts on s, (F in Bb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Face to Face in the public domain?
Yes. Carrie E. Breck died in 1934, Grant Colfax Tullar died in 1950; the words were first published in 1898 and the music in 1898. 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.