Father! Thy Paternal Care in Tonic Solfa
Father! Thy Paternal Care 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!-mThy---rpa-- | mter----fnal-scare----- |
| sHas---mmy-sguar----ldian- | sbeen,---mmy-rguide:----- |
| dEv----rery-mhal----rlowed- | mwish---fand-sprayer----- |
| d'Has---lThy-shand---rof- | mlove---rsup--dplied:----- |
| sThine---mis-d'ev----lery- | sthought---mof-d'bliss,----- |
| sLeft---mby-d'hours---land- | tdays---lgone-sby;----- |
| mEv----rery-dhope---rThine- | moff----fspring-sis,----- |
| d'Beam----ling-sfrom---rfu-- | mtu----rri--dty.----- |
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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
- John Bowring
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Bowring (1792–1872). 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! Thy paternal care
Has my guardian been, my guide:
Every hallowed wish and prayer
Has Thy hand of love supplied:
Thine is every thought of bliss,
Left by hours and days gone by;
Every hope Thine offspring is,
Beaming from futurity.
Every sun of splendid ray;
Every moon that shines serene;
Every morn that welcomes day;
Every evening's twilight scene;
Every hour which wisdom brings;
Every incense at Thy shrine;
These, — and all life's holiest things,
And its fairest, — all are Thine.
And for all, my hymns shall rise
Daily to Thy gracious throne:
Thither let my asking eyes
Turn unwearied, righteous One!
Through life's strange vicissitude
There reposing all my care;
Trusting still, through ill and good,
Fixed, and cheered, and counselled there.
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 Bowring wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 22, “Every Good Gift from the Father”.
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 WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Bowring (1792–1872)
- Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Bowring (1792–1872).
Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Darkness Overspreads Us Here, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear, 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! Thy Paternal Care
What is the doh of Father! Thy Paternal Care?
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! Thy Paternal Care start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Father! Thy Paternal Care in the public domain?
Yes. John Bowring died in 1872, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1848 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.