Holy Ghost, with Light Divine in Tonic Solfa
Holy Ghost, with Light Divine in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 13 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- CANTERBURY
- Words
- Andrew Reed, Samuel Longfellow
- Music
- Orlando Gibbons
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune CANTERBURY by Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625); words by Andrew Reed (1787–1862) and Samuel Longfellow (1819–1892). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mHo--fly-sGhost,-lwith- | rlight-rdi--mvine--- |
| sShine-lup--ton-d'this- | lheart-lof-smine;--- |
| mChase-fthe-sshades-lof- | fnight-ma--rway,--- |
| sTurn-fthem_rdark--dness- | rin--rto-dday.--- |
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 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
Holy Ghost, with light divine
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Chase the shades of night away,
Turn the darkness into day.
Let me see my Savior's face,
Let me all His beauties trace;
Show those glorious truths to me
Which are only known to Thee.
Holy Ghost, with pow'r divine
Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;
In Thy mercy pity me,
From sin's bondage set me free.
Holy Ghost, with joy divine
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Yield a sacred, settled peace,
Let it grow and still increase.
Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol—throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.
See, to Thee I yield my heart,
Shed Thy life through every part;
A pure temple I would be,
Wholly dedicate to Thee.
Holy Spirit, Truth divine,
Dawn upon this soul of mine;
Word of God and inward light
Wake my spirit, clear my sight.
Holy Spirit, Love divine,
Glow within this heart of mine;
Kindle every high desire;
Perish self in Thy pure fire.
Holy Spirit, Power divine
Fill and nerve this will of mine;
Grant that I may strongly live,
Bravely bear, and nobly strive.
Holy Spirit, Right divine,
King within my conscience reign;
Be my Lord, and I shall be
Firmly bound, forever free.
Holy Spirit, Peace divine,
Still this restless heart of mine;
Speak to calm this tossing sea,
Stayed in Thy tranquility.
Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Gladden Thou this heart of mine;
In the desert ways I sing,
"Spring, O Well, forever spring."
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
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 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
The words are by Andrew Reed and Samuel Longfellow, first published in 1817. The tune, CANTERBURY, is by Orlando Gibbons (1623). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1817): Andrew Reed (1787–1862)
- Words (1817): Samuel Longfellow (1819–1892)
- Music (1623): Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune CANTERBURY by Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625); words by Andrew Reed (1787–1862) and Samuel Longfellow (1819–1892). 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 Holy Ghost, with Light Divine
What is the doh of Holy Ghost, with Light Divine?
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 Holy Ghost, with Light Divine start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Holy Ghost, with Light Divine in the public domain?
Yes. Andrew Reed died in 1862, Samuel Longfellow died in 1892, Orlando Gibbons died in 1625; the words were first published in 1817 and the music in 1623. 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.