Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail in Tonic Solfa
Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail in Tonic Solfa to INNOCENTS, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mHail,--fthou | sBless--d'ed-tCross,-lall- | shail!---dDeath--rno |
| mlon--sger-fcan-mpre-- | rvail.---mOn--fthose |
| sarms-d'ex--ttend--led- | shigh,---dDid--rmy |
| mKing-fand-mSa--rviour- | ddie.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- INNOCENTS
- Words
- Traditional Latin, John Brownlie
- Music
- French Melody, 13th cent., ascr., George Frederick Handel, The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Hail, thou Blessed Cross, all hail!
Death no longer can prevail.
On those arms extended high,
Did my King and Saviour die.
Queen of all the trees that grow,
Medicine when health is low,
Solace to the cumbered heart,
Comfort thou when sorrows smart.
O! most sacred wood, the sign
That eternal life is mine;
On the fruit thy branches give,
Feeds the human heart to live.
When, around the Judgment-seat,
Friends of thine and foes shall meet,
Be my prayer, O Christ, to Thee,
And in love remember me.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (F♯), on the word “Hail”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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 “Crux Ave Benedicta”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens (7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to INNOCENTS; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Latin
- Translated (1896): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody: French Melody, 13th cent.
- Music (1728): ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined)
- Melody (1850): The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); words by Traditional Latin; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Day by Day the Manna Fell, Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey, God of Mercy, Hear Our Prayer, Hail, All Hail the Joyful Morn, Hark, My Soul! It Is the Lord, In the Dark of Early Morn, In Thy Courts Let Peace Be Found, Lord, My Times Are in Thy Hand, Peace! the Welcome Sound Proclaim, Seems It in My Anguish Lone, Sinners, Turn; Why Will Ye Die, Slowly, by God's Hand Unfurled, Softly Fades the Twilight Ray, Songs of Praise the Angels Sang, They, Who on the Lord Rely, To Thy Temple I Repair, When Before Thy Throne We Kneel, Winter Has a Joy for Me.
Questions about Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail
What is the doh of Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major), a pickup on the word “Hail” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, ascr., George Frederick Handel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1896 and the music in 1728. 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.