From Nazareth in Tonic Solfa

From Nazareth in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.

Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 3/4
Starts on: d (D)
Range: t, to d' (C♯ to D, a ninth)
Tune: PUER NOBIS NASCITUR
Words: Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster
Music: Michael Praetorius

The solfa with the words

Doh is D3/4

dComes-

da----rny-

mgood---ffrom-

mNa----rza--

dreth?---dThe-

sscorn----sful-

scha--l_-tllenge-

d'as---d'of-

d'old---sIs-

d'flung---d'on-

tman----sy'a-

ljeer----ling-

sbreath---fFrom-

scloi----mstered-

rcells---mand-

dmarts---t,of-

dgold.---

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 WhatsApp message to the choir.

Doh is D · 3/4

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

Comes any good from Nazareth?
The scornful challenge as of old
Is flung on many'a jeering breath
From cloistered cells and marts of gold.

Comes any good from Nazareth?
Behold, the mighty Nazarene,
The Lord of life, the Lord of death,
Through warring ages walks serene.

One touch upon His garment's fringe
Still heals the hurt of bitter years.
Before Him yet the demons cringe,
He gives the wine of joy for tears.

O city of the Carpenter,
Upon the hill slope old and gray,
The world among its pain and stir
Turns yearning eyes on thee today.

For He who dwelt in Nazareth,
And wrought with toil of hand and brain,
Alone gives victory to faith
Until the day He come again.

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), on the word “Comes”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
Count the time. 3/4 means three 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

The words are by Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster, first published in 1911. The tune, PUER NOBIS NASCITUR, is by Michael Praetorius (1609). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.

Words (1911): Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster (1838–1912)
Music (1609): Michael Praetorius (1571–1621)

Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune PUER NOBIS NASCITUR by Michael Praetorius (1571–1621); words by Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster (1838–1912). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.

Sung to the same tune: On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry.

Questions about From Nazareth

What is the doh of From Nazareth?

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 From Nazareth start on?

It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “Comes” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.

Is From Nazareth in the public domain?

Yes. Margaret Elizabeth Munson Sangster died in 1912, Michael Praetorius died in 1621; the words were first published in 1911 and the music in 1609. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.