Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear in Tonic Solfa
Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear in Tonic Solfa to WATCHMAN, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dFa----rther,-mSon,---rand- | mSpir----fit,-shear----- |
| sFaith's---mef--sfec----ltual- | sfer----mvent-rprayer;----- |
| dHear,---rand-mour---rpe-- | mti----ftions-sseal,----- |
| d'Let---lus-snow---rthe- | man----rswer-dfeel.----- |
| sStill---mour-d'fel----llow-- | sship---min--d'crease,----- |
| sKnit---mus-d'in---lthe- | tbond---lof-speace;----- |
| mJoin---rour-dnew---rborn- | mspi----frits,-sjoin----- |
| d'Each---lto-seach,---rand- | mall---rto-dthine.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- WATCHMAN
- Words
- Charles Wesley, John Wesley
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or 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 D · 6/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Father, Son, and Spirit, hear
Faith's effectual fervent prayer;
Hear, and our petitions seal,
Let us now the answer feel.
Still our fellowship increase,
Knit us in the bond of peace;
Join our new-born spirits, join
Each to each, and all to thine.
Build us in one body up,
Called in one high calling's hope:
One the Spirit whom we claim,
One the pure baptismal flame,
One the faith, and common Lord,
One the Father lives adored,
Over, through, and in us all,
God incomprehensible.
One with God, the source of bliss,
Ground of our communion this:
Life of all that live below,
Let thine emanations flow!
Rise eternal in our heart:
Thou our long-sought Eden art;
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Be to us what Adam lost.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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 printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 515. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).
Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Darkness Overspreads Us Here, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father! Thy Paternal Care, Gracious Lord, Our Children See, Guide Us, Lord! While, Hand in Hand, Mary to Her Savior's Tomb, Meet and Right It Is to Praise, O My God, What Must I Do, Pleasing Spring Again Is Here, Time, by Moments, Steals Away, While with Ceaseless Course the Sun.
Questions about Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear
What is the doh of Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1830. 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.