Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah in Tonic Solfa
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah in Tonic Solfa to CWM RHONDDA, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, three verses and a piano.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- CWM RHONDDA
- Words
- William Williams, Peter Williams
- Music
- John Hughes
Tune CWM RHONDDA by John Hughes (1873–1932); words by William Williams (1717–1791) and Peter Williams (1723–1796). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| s,Guide-l,me,-s,O--dThou | dgreatt,_dJe-r_mho--rvah,- |
| mPil--dgrim-l,through-fthis- | mbar--rren-dland;--- |
| s,I-l,am-s,weak,--dbut | dThout,_dartr_mmight--ry;- |
| mHold-fme-swith-fThyr_ | dpow’r--t,ful-dhand:--- |
| rBread--moffheav--ren,- | mbread--fofsheav--men,- |
| sFeed--smestillsIswantsno | smore;------- |
| sFeed--fmemtills_fIr_ | dwant-t,no-dmore.--- |
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 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
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield;
Be Thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.
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
William Williams of Pantycelyn, the great hymn writer of the Welsh revival, wrote the hymn in Welsh. Peter Williams translated the first verse into English in 1771, and William Williams himself wrote the English verses that follow.
The tune CWM RHONDDA was written by John Hughes in 1907 for a singing festival in Pontypridd, Wales; it is the tune most churches now sing these words to. The last line of every verse is sung twice.
- Welsh words (1745); English verses 2 and 3 (1772): William Williams (1717–1791)
- English translation of verse 1 (1771): Peter Williams (1723–1796)
- Melody (1907): John Hughes (1873–1932)
Tune CWM RHONDDA by John Hughes (1873–1932); words by William Williams (1717–1791) and Peter Williams (1723–1796).
Questions about Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
What is the doh of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah?
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 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah in the public domain?
Yes. William Williams died in 1791, Peter Williams died in 1796, John Hughes died in 1932; the words were first published in 1771 and the music in 1907. 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.