Go to Dark Gethsemane in Tonic Solfa
Go to Dark Gethsemane in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 4 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (E♭)
- Range
- t, to l (D to C, a seventh)
- Tune
- GETHSEMANE
- Words
- James Montgomery
- Music
- Richard Redhead
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GETHSEMANE by Richard Redhead (1820–1901); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dGo-dto-rdark-mGeth-- | fse---fma-mne,--- |
| dye-dthat-rfeel-mthe- | rtemp--rter's-dpow'r;--- |
| dYour-mRe--sdeem--ser's- | lcon--lflict-ssee,--- |
| dwatch-mwith-sHim-sone- | lbit--lter-shour,--- |
| dTurn-dnot-rfrom-mHis- | fgriefs--fa-mway;--- |
| dlearn-rfrom-mJe--rsus- | dChrist-t,to-dpray.--- |
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 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
Go to dark Gethsemane,
ye that feel the tempter's pow'r;
Your Redeemer's conflict see,
watch with Him one bitter hour,
Turn not from His griefs away;
learn from Jesus Christ to pray.
Follow to the judgment hall,
view the Lord of Life arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suff'ring, shame, or loss;
learn from Christ to bear the cross.
Calv'ry's mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at His feet,
Mark that miracle of time,
God's own sacrifice complete.
"It is finished!" hear Him cry;
learn from Jesus Christ to die.
Early hasten to the tomb
where they laid His breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom.
Who has taken Him away?
Christ is ris'n! He meets our eyes;
Savior, teach us so to rise.
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 d (E♭).
- 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
The words are by James Montgomery, first published in 1820. The tune, GETHSEMANE, is by Richard Redhead (1853). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1820): James Montgomery (1771–1854)
- Music (1853): Richard Redhead (1820–1901)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GETHSEMANE by Richard Redhead (1820–1901); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854). 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: To Avert from Men God's Wrath.
Questions about Go to Dark Gethsemane
What is the doh of Go to Dark Gethsemane?
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 Go to Dark Gethsemane start on?
It starts on d (E♭ in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Go to Dark Gethsemane in the public domain?
Yes. James Montgomery died in 1854, Richard Redhead died in 1901; the words were first published in 1820 and the music in 1853. 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.