Holy Bible, Book Divine in Tonic Solfa
Holy Bible, Book Divine in Tonic Solfa to ALETTA: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mHo--sly-dBi-- | rble,---rbook- | rdi--d_-r_- | mvine,----- |
| mPre--scious-dtrea-- | rsure,---rthou- | rart-m_-r_- | dmine;----- |
| fMine,---fto- | mtell---mme- | rwhence---dI- | scame,----- |
| sMine,-mto-dteach- | rme---rwhat- | rI-m_-r_- | dam;----- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- d to s (F to C, a fifth)
- Tune
- ALETTA
- Words
- John Burton
Tune ALETTA by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Burton (1773–1822). 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 F · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Holy Bible, book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine;
Mine, to tell me whence I came,
Mine, to teach me what I am;
Mine, to chide me when I rove,
Mine, to show a Saviour’s love;
Mine art thou, to guide my feet,
Mine, to judge, condemn, acquit;
Mine, to comfort in distress,
If the Holy Spirit bless;
Mine, to show by living faith
Man can triumph over death;
Mine, to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner’s doom;
Holy Bible, book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- Count the time. 3/4 means three 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 — only 5 different notes, so it is a good one for a choir new to solfa. 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 Burton’s words date from 1803. The tune ALETTA is by William B. Bradbury (1858).
- Words (1803): John Burton (1773–1822)
- Music (1858): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune ALETTA by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Burton (1773–1822).
Questions about Holy Bible, Book Divine
What is the doh of Holy Bible, Book Divine?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Holy Bible, Book Divine start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Holy Bible, Book Divine in the public domain?
Yes. John Burton died in 1822, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were first published in 1803 and the music in 1858. 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.