From the Father’s Throne Descending in Tonic Solfa
From the Father’s Throne Descending in Tonic Solfa to STUTTGART, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 8 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,From-s,the-dFa--dther’s- | rthrone-rde--mscend--ding,- |
| sLight-sfrom-lout-fthe- | rrealms-sof-mlight;--- |
| mFont-mof-rlight,-mall- | dlight-rtran--dscend--t,ing,- |
| dBright--l,er-s,day-din- | dday-t,most-dbright.--- |
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Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- STUTTGART
- Words
- Traditional Latin, John Brownlie
- Music
- Psalmodia Sacra, Gotha, Christian F. Witt, Johann G. C. Storl, Henry John Gauntlett
Tune STUTTGART by Christian F. Witt (died 1716), Johann G. C. Storl (died 1719) and Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by Traditional Latin; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
From the Father’s throne descending,
Light from out the realms of light;
Font of light, all light transcending,
Brighter day in day most bright.
Shine, True Light, in radiant brightness,
Flashing forth perpetual ray;
May Thy Spirit’s searching lightness,
Fill our souls with endless day.
Father, come we humbly bending,—
Father of Almighty grace,
Who hast glory never ending,
Banish every sinful trace.
When to do Thy will inclining,
Quell for us the tempter’s wrath;
Ne’er in trial’s hour repining,
Lead us in the upward path.
May Thy rule our minds enlighten;
Let no sin our lives defile;
Fervent faith our spirits brighten,
Knowing nought of fraud or guile.
Christ, the Bread of Life bestowing,
Faith our daily cup shall fill;
Draughts of joy for ever flowing,
Drink we from the Spirit’s rill.
Thus our life in beauty gliding—
Purity like dawn of day,
Faith like sun at noon abiding,
Eve that knows no twilight grey.
Forth in beauty rides the Morning—
Be Thy glory on us poured;
Son, the Father’s love adorning,
Father in th’ Eternal Word.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 s, (D).
- 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 Brownlie translated these words from the Latin hymns of the early Church for Hymns of the Early Church (London, 1896), headed “Thursday Morning”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), and this page sets them to STUTTGART; any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Latin
- Translated (1896): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody (1715): Psalmodia Sacra, Gotha
- Music, attributed: Christian F. Witt (died 1716)
- Music, attributed: Johann G. C. Storl (died 1719)
- Arranged (1861): Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876)
Tune STUTTGART by Christian F. Witt (died 1716), Johann G. C. Storl (died 1719) and Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by Traditional Latin; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: All Around Us, Fair with Flowers, Hark! What Mean Those Holy Voices, Onward, Christian, Though the Region, Pillows, Wet with Tears of Anguish.
Questions about From the Father’s Throne Descending
What is the doh of From the Father’s Throne Descending?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 the Father’s Throne Descending start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is From the Father’s Throne Descending in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Christian F. Witt died in 1716, Johann G. C. Storl died in 1719, Henry John Gauntlett died in 1876; the words were in print by 1896 and the music in 1715. 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.