Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought in Tonic Solfa
Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought in Tonic Solfa to MESSIAH (HERALD), doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 2 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mFaint--rthedearth,-dand- | fparched--mwithrdrought,--- |
| sMake--lthelwa--sters,- | mLord,-dgush-rout!--- |
| mStreams--rofdlove-dour- | fthirst--mtorbless,--- |
| sStart---lingsin-mthe- | rwild---der-dness.--- |
| t,Long--dwerwait-fThy- | mpeace--rtodknow:--- |
| rFa---mther,fbid-lthe- | swa---ftersmflow,--- |
| mMake--rthedthirst--dy- | fland--marpool,--- |
| sMake--lman'sssuf--mfering- | rspi---dritdwhole.--- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- t, to l (E to D, a seventh)
- Tune
- MESSIAH (HERALD)
- Words
- Anonymous
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by Anonymous. 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 F · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Faint the earth, and parched with drought,
Make the waters, Lord, gush out!
Streams of love our thirst to bless,
Starting in the wilderness.
Long we wait Thy peace to know:
Father, bid the waters flow,
Make the thirsty land a pool,
Make man's suffering spirit whole.
Hark! the wastes have found a voice;
Loneliest deserts now rejoice,
When the Lord His presence shows,
Lo, they blossom like the rose;
See! this barren earth of ours
Buds and puts forth fruits and flowers,
Flowers of Eden, fruits of peace,
Love and Joy and Righteousness!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- 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
These words were printed without an author's name in the supplement of the 1866 edition of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1866), as hymn 598, “The Prophet's Vision”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MESSIAH (HERALD); any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Anonymous
- Music (1839): Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined)
- Arranged (1839): George Kingsley (died undefined)
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by Anonymous.
Sung to the same tune: 'Tis My Happiness Below, Blessing, Honour, Thanks, and Praise, Bound upon the Accursed Tree, Come, and Let Us Sweetly Join, God of Love, We Look to Thee, Grace, Triumphant in the Throne, Happy Man Whom God Doth Aid, Happy Soul Who Sees the Day, Hark! How Time's Wide Sounding Bell, Jesus, We Thy Promise Claim, Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign, Lord! Thou Didst Arise and Say, Oft in Vain the Voice of Truth, Sinner, Art Thou Still Secure.
Questions about Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought
What is the doh of Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought in the public domain?
Yes. Louis J. F. Herold died in undefined, George Kingsley died in undefined; the words were in print by 1866 and the music in 1839. 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.