Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling in Tonic Solfa
Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 6 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- GALILEAN
- Words
- Daniel March
- Music
- Joseph Barnby
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GALILEAN by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Daniel March (1816–1909). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mHark,-rthe-mvoice-sof- | fJe--rsus-dcal--t,ling,- |
| d"Who-l,will-s,go-mand- | rwork-dto--rday?--- |
| mFields-rare-mripe-sand- | fhar--rvests-dwait--t,ing,- |
| dWho-l,will-s,bear-mthe- | rsheaves--da-dway?"--- |
| rLong--mandmloud-rthe- | rMas--ster-fecalls-mus,- |
| rRich--mre-rward-sHe- | sof--lfers-sfree;--- |
| mWho-rwill-man--sswer,- | fglad--rly-dsay--t,ing,- |
| d"Here-l,am-s,I,-msend- | rme,--dsenddme?"--- |
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
Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,
"Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe and harvests waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Long and loud the Master calls us,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
"Here am I, send me, send me?"
If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the distant lands explore,
You can find the lost around you,
You can help them at your door;
If you cannot give your thousands,
You can give the widow's mite;
What you truly give for Jesus,
Will be precious in His sight.
If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked,
With the judgment's dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Savior's waiting arms.
If you cannot be the watchman,
Standing high on Zion's wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
Off'ring life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
You can do what heav'n demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron,
Holding up the prophet's hands.
If among the older people,
You may not be apt to teach,
"Feed My lambs," said Christ, our Shepherd,
"Place the food within their reach."
And it may be that the children
You have led with trembling hand,
Will be found among your jewels,
When you reach the better land.
Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do."
While the lost of earth are dying, And the Master calls for you;
Take the task He gives you gladly; Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calls you, "Here am I, send me, send me."
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 m (B).
- 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 and the chromatic fe. 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 Daniel March, first published in 1868. The tune, GALILEAN, is by Joseph Barnby (1883). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1868): Daniel March (1816–1909)
- Music (1883): Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune GALILEAN by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Daniel March (1816–1909). 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.
Questions about Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling
What is the doh of Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling?
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 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling in the public domain?
Yes. Daniel March died in 1909, Joseph Barnby died in 1896; the words were first published in 1868 and the music in 1883. 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.