Father, Source of Every Blessing in Tonic Solfa
Father, Source of Every Blessing in Tonic Solfa to ALL FOR JESUS, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mFa--sther,-d'source-tof- | lev--sery-sbless--fing,- |
| mTune-smy-dheart-mto- | rgrate--dful-rlays!--- |
| rStreams-mof-fmer--lcy,- | r'nev--d'er-d'ceas--ting,- |
| d'Call-sfor-scease--fless- | msongs-rof-dpraise.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ALL FOR JESUS
- Words
- Anonymous
- Music
- John Stainer
Tune ALL FOR JESUS by John Stainer (1840–1901); 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 D · 4/4
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, source of every blessing,
Tune my heart to grateful lays!
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for ceaseless songs of praise.
Teach me some melodious measure,
Sung by raptured saints above;
Fill my soul with sacred pleasure,
While I sing redeeming love.
Thou didst seek me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold above;
Thou, to save my soul from danger,
Didst redeem me with Thy love.
By Thy hand restored, defended,
Safe through life thus far I've come;
Safe, O Lord, when life is ended,
Bring me to my heavenly home.
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 m (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
These words were printed without an author's name in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 245, “Song of the Redeemed”, where the book credits them to the Episcopal Collection.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ALL FOR JESUS; any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Anonymous
- Music (1887): John Stainer (1840–1901)
Tune ALL FOR JESUS by John Stainer (1840–1901); words by Anonymous.
Sung to the same tune: Brother, Rest from Sin and Sorrow, Christian Soldiers in the Conflict, Come Ye People, Come Adore Him, Fare Thee Well, Our Fondly Cherished, In the Cross of Christ I Glory, Israel's Shepherd, Guide Me, Feed Me, Israel's Shepherd, Guide Us, Feed Us, Lamb of God, We Fall Before Thee, Light Serene of Holy Glory, One Sweet Flower Has Drooped and Faded, Savior, All My Sins Confessing, Saviour! I My Cross Have Taken, Sister, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Theories, Which Thousands Cherish.
Questions about Father, Source of Every Blessing
What is the doh of Father, Source of Every Blessing?
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, Source of Every Blessing start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Father, Source of Every Blessing in the public domain?
Yes. John Stainer died in 1901; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1887. 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.