Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos in Tonic Solfa
Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos in Tonic Solfa to PENITENTIA, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mHail,---mfull-fof- | sgrace,---dVir---- |
| rgin--rThe-mo--fto-- | mkos,------- |
| mHar----rbour-dof- | lall---swho--- |
| son--sthefbil--mlows- | rtoss;------- |
| mRe----mfuge-fof- | sthose---dwho--- |
| lhelp---llesslseek-mThy- | fgrace,------- |
| fHope----mless-rand- | ssin-dstained-dof-four- |
| mfall----ren--- | drace.------- |
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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
Hail, full of grace, Virgin Theotokos,
Harbour of all who on the billows toss;
Refuge of those who helpless seek Thy grace,
Hopeless and sin-stained of our fallen race.
From thee the Lord Incarnate came to free
Those who are held in bands of misery.
Hail! Virgin Mother, for alone thou art
Blessèd for ever, by each human heart.
Say to the Christ that strife of sin should cease,
That to this world should come the bliss of peace.
Hail! full of grace, Virgin to thee be praise,
Now and for ever through the endless days.
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 Greek Office Books (Paisley, 1904), headed “Theotokion”.
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 (1904): 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, Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb, 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 Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos
What is the doh of Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos?
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 Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Edward Dearle died in 1891; the words were in print by 1904 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.