Holy Spirit, Come with Power in Tonic Solfa

Holy Spirit, Come with Power in Tonic Solfa to RATISBON (WERNER), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is D4/4

sHo--sly-lSpirit,-tcome-

d'with-d'po--twer;---

lLet-d'Thy-slight,-min-

fdark--rest-dhour,---

mShine-mup--ron-mour-

fon--fward-mway.---

mFa--lther-seof-lthe-

thum--tble-lheart,---

d'Come,-lThy-schoic--mest-

fgifts-fim--mpart—---

lLight-lour-shearts-mwith-

rheav--renly-dray.---

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Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 4/4
Starts on: s (A)
Range: d to d' (D to D, an octave)
Tune: RATISBON (WERNER)
Words: Traditional Latin, John Brownlie
Music: Werner's Choralbuch, William Henry Havergal

Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); 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

| s - s - l - t - Holy Spirit, come| d' - d' - t - - - |with power;

| l - d' - s - m - Let Thy light, in| f - r - d - - - |darkest hour,

| m - m - r - m - Shine upon our| f - f - m - - - |onward way.

| m - l - se - l - Father of the| t - t - l - - - |humble heart,

| d' - l - s - m - Come, Thy choicest| f - f - m - - - |gifts impart—

| l - l - s - m - Light our hearts with| r - r - d - - - |heavenly ray.

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

Holy Spirit, come with power;
Let Thy light, in darkest hour,
Shine upon our onward way.
Father of the humble heart,
Come, Thy choicest gifts impart—
Light our hearts with heavenly ray.

Thou canst best the heart console;
Sweet Thy sojourn with the soul—
Cooling breath at noon of day,
Calm Thy rest in toil and care,
Soft Thy shade in noontide glare—
Thou dost chase our tears away.

O! Thou blessed Light of light!
Let Thy beams in radiance bright
Fill our inmost heart for aye.
If Thou come not with Thy grace,
Nought of worth can take Thy place,
Nought but leads the soul astray.

What is filthy, come, renew;
What is parched, with grace bedew;
Heal the wounded in the way.
What is stubborn, gently bend;
To the chilled the life-glow send;
Bring the erring ’neath Thy sway.

To the faithful who repose
In the love Thy grace bestows,
Be Thy sevenfold gift alway—
Rich reward for service given,
Hope in death and joy in heaven,
Joy untold that lasteth aye.

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 s (A).
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 se. 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 “Veni, Sancte Spiritus Et Emitte Cœlitus”.

The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to RATISBON (WERNER); any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.

Words: Traditional Latin
Translated (1896): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
Melody (1815): Werner's Choralbuch
Harmony (1861): William Henry Havergal (1793–1870)

Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); words by Traditional Latin; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).

Sung to the same tune: As the Hart, with Eager Looks, Centre of Our Hopes Thou Art, Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, Ever Patient, Loving, Meek, It Is Finished! Glorious Word, Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus, I Believe Thee Near, Jesus, While He Dwelt Below, Lamb of God, Who Bear'st Away, On Thy Church, O Power Divine, Praise to God, Immortal Praise, Quiet, Lord, My Froward Heart, Safely Through Another Week, Savior Shine and Cheer My Soul, Weary Souls, That Wander Wide, When the Parting Bosom Bleeds, Who Shall Towards Thy Chosen Seat.

Questions about Holy Spirit, Come with Power

What is the doh of Holy Spirit, Come with Power?

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 Holy Spirit, Come with Power start on?

It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.

Is Holy Spirit, Come with Power in the public domain?

Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, William Henry Havergal died in 1870; the words were in print by 1896 and the music in 1815. 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.