How Happy Are the Little Flock in Tonic Solfa
How Happy Are the Little Flock in Tonic Solfa to HOLY MATRIMONY, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,How- | dhap---dpymare-dthe- | rlit--rtle-mflock,-l,Who,- |
| l,safe-l,be--s,neath-dtheir- | t,guar--ddian-rRock,-rIn- |
| rall-dcom--t,mo--l,tions- | s,rest!-----s,When- |
| t,war's--dandrtu--fmult's- | mwaves-drun-rhigh,-l,Re-- |
| t,moved--ra-fbove-mthe- | dstorm-mthey-rlie,-fThey- |
| mlodge-l,in-t,Je--t,su's- | dbreast.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to f (D to C, a seventh)
- Tune
- HOLY MATRIMONY
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Henry Williams Baker
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune HOLY MATRIMONY by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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 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
How happy are the little flock,
Who, safe beneath their guardian Rock,
In all commotions rest!
When war's and tumult's waves run high,
Removed above the storm they lie,
They lodge in Jesu's breast.
Such happiness, O Lord, have we,
By mercy gathered into thee,
Before the floods descend:
And while the bursting clouds come down,
We mark the vengeful day begun,
And calmly wait the end.
The plague, and dearth, and din of war,
Our Saviour's swift approach declare,
And bid our hearts arise;
Earth's basis shook confirms our hope;
Its cities' fall but lifts us up,
To meet thee in the skies.
Thy tokens we with joy confess:
The war proclaims the Prince of peace,
The earthquake speaks thy power,
The famine all thy fulness brings,
The plague presents thy healing wings,
And nature's final hour.
Whatever ills the world befall,
A pledge of endless good we call,
A sign of Jesus near;
His chariot will not long delay,
We hear the rumbling wheels, and pray,
Triumphant Lord, appear!
Appear with clouds on Sion's hill,
Thy word and mystery to fulfil,
Thy confessors to approve,
Thy members on thy throne to place,
And stamp thy name on every face,
In glorious, heavenly love!
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 s, (D), on the word “How”, 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
Charles Wesley wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 62.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Common Particular Metre (8.8.6.8.8.6), and this page sets them to HOLY MATRIMONY; any other Common Particular Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Music (1865): Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877)
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune HOLY MATRIMONY by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: Author of Faith, to Thee I Cry, Come, Wisdom, Power, and Grace Divine, Hail, Love Divine! Joys Ever New, He Came to Earth Who Came from God, How Blest the Hearts, How Happy Is the Pilgrim's Lot, Lord of the Church, We Humbly Pray, O Glorious Hope of Perfect Love, O Jesus, Lover of Our Race, O Saviour, Cast a Gracious Smile, O Son of God, on Thee We Call, O Thou Who Hast Our Sorrows Borne, Safe in the Comfort of Thy Grace, Soft Are the Fruitful Showers That Bring, Still Lord, I Languish for Thy Grace, Thee, Jesu, Thee, the Sinner's Friend, Thou Great Mysterious God Unknown, To Thee My Soul Enraptured Sings, Where’er I Go, Whate’er My Task.
Questions about How Happy Are the Little Flock
What is the doh of How Happy Are the Little Flock?
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 How Happy Are the Little Flock start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major), a pickup on the word “How” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is How Happy Are the Little Flock in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Henry Williams Baker died in 1877; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1865. 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.