Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey in Tonic Solfa
Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey in Tonic Solfa to INNOCENTS, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 7 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mFor---fest | sbeasts,-d'that-tlive-lby- | sprey,---dSel---rdom |
| mshow-sthem--fselves-mby- | rday;---mBut--fwhen |
| sday-d'light-tis-lwith-- | sdrawn,---dThen--rthey |
| mrove-fand-mroar-rtill- | ddawn.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- INNOCENTS
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- French Melody, 13th cent., ascr., George Frederick Handel, The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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
Forest beasts, that live by prey,
Seldom show themselves by day;
But when day-light is withdrawn,
Then they rove and roar till dawn.
Who can tell the traveller's fears,
When their horrid yells he hears?
Terror almost stops his breath,
While each step he looks for death.
Thus when Jesus is in view,
Cheerful I my way pursue;
Walking by my Savior's light,
Nothing can my soul affright.
But when he forbears to shine,
Soon the travell'rs case is mine;
Lost, benighted, struck with dread,
What a painful path I tread!
Then, my soul with terror hears
Worse than lions, wolves, or bears,
Roaring loud in every part,
Through the forest of my heart.
Wrath, impatience, envy, pride,
Satan and his host beside,
Press around me to devour;
How can I escape their pow'r?
Gracious Lord afford me light,
Put these beasts of prey to flight;
Let thy pow'r and love be shown,
Save me, for I am thine own.
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♯), on the first syllable of “Forest”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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
John Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book III, hymn 33, “The benighted traveller”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to INNOCENTS; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Melody: French Melody, 13th cent.
- Music (1728): ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined)
- Melody (1850): The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Day by Day the Manna Fell, God of Mercy, Hear Our Prayer, Hail, All Hail the Joyful Morn, Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail, Hark, My Soul! It Is the Lord, In the Dark of Early Morn, In Thy Courts Let Peace Be Found, Lord, My Times Are in Thy Hand, Peace! the Welcome Sound Proclaim, Seems It in My Anguish Lone, Sinners, Turn; Why Will Ye Die, Slowly, by God's Hand Unfurled, Softly Fades the Twilight Ray, Songs of Praise the Angels Sang, They, Who on the Lord Rely, To Thy Temple I Repair, When Before Thy Throne We Kneel, Winter Has a Joy for Me.
Questions about Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey
What is the doh of Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey?
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 Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Forest” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, ascr., George Frederick Handel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1728. 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.