Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb in Tonic Solfa
Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb in Tonic Solfa to PENITENTIA, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mGlo----mry-fto- | sGod!---dthe--- |
| rChrist--rhathmleft-fthe- | mtomb,------- |
| mAnd---rere-dthe- | ldawn---sup---- |
| son--sthefearth-mhad- | rbroke,------- |
| mThe---mLight-fof- | slights---dhad--- |
| lburst--lup-lon-mits- | fgloom,------- |
| fWhen---mHe,-rour- | sLight,-dfrom-ddeath's-fdark- |
| msleep---ra---- | dwoke.------- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to l (E♭ to C, a sixth)
- Tune
- PENITENTIA
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Edward Dearle
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; 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 Eb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Glory to God! the Christ hath left the tomb,
And ere the dawn upon the earth had broke,
The Light of lights had burst upon its gloom,
When He, our Light, from death's dark sleep awoke.
Were there no eyes to gaze upon the sight?
No hearts to sing, when sundered was the prison?
Watchers there were, who lingered through the night,
Angels who said, "The Master hath arisen."
Where now its sting, since death itself is dead?
Where now the power that held the captive bound?
Weave laurels gay to crown the Victor's head,
Sing carols loud till earth and heaven resound.
Break, happy morn! and let the world be glad,
Night is no more, and all our fears are gone;
Joy fills the souls that erstwhile had been sad,
Hope fills the tomb, where hope had never shone.
Sleepers, awake! The Christ from death awoke,
Break into song, and let the silence sing,
Speak to the world what language never spoke,
Bring from a tomb what mourners cannot bring.
Glory to God! The Christ hath left the tomb,
Hope in our souls is shining as the sun;
Clouds bring no fear, for in the deepest gloom,
Rest we in faith, — the Victory is won.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 (G).
- 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. 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 Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Tens (10.10.10.10), and this page sets them to PENITENTIA; any other Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1880): Edward Dearle (1806–1891)
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Father! I Wait Thy Word. the Sun Doth Stand, Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos, Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul, Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace, Thou That Art Strong to Comfort, Look on Me, Wake to the Songs That Lips Unsullied Sing.
Questions about Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb
What is the doh of Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Edward Dearle died in 1891; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1880. 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.