If for a Time the Air Be Calm in Tonic Solfa

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.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in E major, with the first verse under the notes.

The words

How to sing it from the solfa

• Find doh first. Play or hum E 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 d (E), on the word “If”, 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

John Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book II, hymn 87, “The sea”.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked Long Metre (8.8.8.8), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to UXBRIDGE; any other Long Metre tune fits them as well.

• Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
• Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Tune UXBRIDGE by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807).

Sung to the same tune: 'Tis Done; the Great Transaction's Done, 'Twas by an Order from the Lord, 'Twas for Thy Sake, Eternal God, A Crown of Gold Surpassing Rare, Affliction's Faded Form Draws Nigh, Ah Lord, with Trembling I Confess, Alas! Elisha's Servant Cried, Almighty King! Whose Wondrous Hand, Almighty Ruler of the Skies, An Awful Mystery Is Here, Another Day Its Course Hath Run, Arise, My Soul, and Gaily Sing, As Once for Jonah, So the Lord, Author of Faith, Eternal Word, Author of Faith, We Seek Thy Face, Be Still My Heart! These Anxious Cares, Behold a Stranger at the Door, Behold the Blind Their Sight Receive, Behold the Path Which Mortals Tread, Beset with Snares on Every Hand, Bless, O My Soul, the Living God, Blest Is the Man Whose Bowels Move, By Various Maxims, Forms and Rules, Dark Night Has Drawn Her Curtain Round, Dark Were the Paths Our Master Trod, Dear Lord, Behold Thy Servants, Here, Do We Not Know That Solemn Word, Eternal and Immortal King, Faith, Hope, and Charity, These Three, Father of All! Where Shall We Find, Father, Adored in Worlds Above, Father, I Bless Thy Gentle Hand, For All Who Love Thee and Thy Cause, Forgive My Heart Its Vain Regrets, Give to Our God Immortal Praise, Glory to God the Trinity, God in His Temple Let Us Meet, God Is the Refuge of His Saints, God of All Power, and Truth, and Grace, God of Our Fathers, 'Tis Thy Hand, God of Unspotted Purity, Great God of Nations, Now to Thee, Great God, Indulge My Humble Claim, Great God, We Sing That Mighty Hand, Great God! and Wilt Thou Condescend, Great God! Attend, While Zion Sings, Great God! Let All Our Tuneful Powers, Great God! My Joyful Thanks to Thee, Great Was the Day, the Joy Was Great, Had I the Tongues of Greeks and Jews, Hasten, O Sinner, to Be Wise, Here at Thy Cross, My Dying God, High on a Hill of Dazzling Light, Hosanna! Lord, Thine Angels Cry, How Beauteous Were the Marks Divine, How Blest the Righteous When He Dies, How Do Thy Mercies Close Me Round, How Happy Is He Born or Taught, In Gabriel's Hand a Mighty Stone, Jesu, My Saviour, Brother, Friend, Jesu, Thy Far-extended Fame, Jesus Is Gone Above the Skies, Jesus, to What Didst Thou Submit, Jesus, Where'er Thy People Meet, Let All That Breathe Jehovah Praise, Let God Arise in All His Might, Life Is the Time to Serve the Lord, Lord God, Who Art My Father Dear, Lord, How Delightful 'Tis to See, Lord, I Can Suffer Thy Rebukes, Lord, I Will Bless Thee All My Days, Lord, If Thou Dost Not Soon Appear, Lord, We Are Blind, We Mortals Blind, Lord, What Is Man! Extremes How Wide, Lord, What Was Man, When Made at First, Man Has a Soul of Vast Desires, Martha Her Love and Joy Expressed, Messiah Lord! Who, Wont to Dwell, My God, I Thank Thee! May No Thought, My Harp Untuned, and Laid Aside, My Helper, God, I Bless His Name, My Refuge Is the God of Love, My Righteous Judge, My Gracious God, My Shepherd Is the Living Lord, My Song Shall Bless the Lord of All, My Soul, Through My Redeemer's Care, My Spirit Looks to God Alone, Nailed to the Cross the Saviour Dies, No More, My God, I Boast No More, Now Have Our Hearts Embrac'd Our God, Now in the Heat of Youthful Blood, Now Let Our Mournful Songs Record, Now Let Us Tune Our Hearts to Sing, O Britain, Praise Thy Mighty God, O God, My Father, and My King, O God! I Thank Thee That the Night, O Jesus, Let Thy Dying Cry, O Love of God, Surpassing Far, O Thou Who Hast Spread Out the Skies, O Thou, at Whose Divine Command, O Thou, at Whose Dread Name We Bend, O, May the Pow'r Which Melts the Rock, Often I Seek My Lord by Night, Oh, What a Struggle Wakes Within, Oh! Timely Happy, Timely Wise, On Eyes That Never Saw the Day, On This Fair Spot Where Nature Pays, Our God, Where'er Thy People Meet, Our Lord Is Risen from the Dead, Pierce, Fill Me with an Humble Fear, Praise Waits in Zion, Lord, for Thee, Praise Ye the Lord, My Heart Shall Join, Prayer May Be Sweet in Cottage Homes, Questions and Doubts Be Heard No More, Remember Us, We Pray Thee, Lord, Saviour of All, to Thee We Bow, Shew Pity, Lord, O Lord, Forgive, Sinners, Obey the Gospel-word, Sweet Is the Scene When Virtue Dies, The Heavens Declare Thy Glory, Lord, The King of Saints, How Fair His Face, The Morning Dawns upon the Place, The New-born Child This Early Morn, The Perfect World by Adam Trod, The Savior Calls His People Sheep, The Spirit of the Lord Our God, Thee Will I Love, O Lord, My Strength, There Is a Land Mine Eye Hath Seen, There Is a Time When Moments Flow, Thine Honor Rescue, Christ, Our Lord, This Is the Fast the Lord Doth Choose, This Stone to Thee in Faith We Lay, Thou Our Redeemer Art, O Christ, Though in the Outward Church Below, Thus Far the Lord Has Led Me on, Thus the Eternal Father Spake, Thus the Great Lord of Earth and Sea, Thy Favours Lord, Surprise Our Souls, Too Strong I Was to Conquer Sin, Triumphant Zion! Lift Thy Head, Up to the Fields Where Angels Lie, Wait on the Lord, Ye Heirs of Hope, What Various Hindrances We Meet, When Darkness Falls and Night Is Here, When Evening Shades Around Us Close, When Israel Through the Desert Passed, When Israel, Freed from Pharaoh's Hand, When Joshua, by God's Command, When Moses Waved His Mystic Rod, When O'er the World Augustus Reigned, When on the Cross, My Lord I See, When Rome Had Shrouded Earth in Night, When the Beloved Disciple Took, When, Gracious Lord, When Shall It Be, Where Shall We Go to Seek and Find, While Some in Folly's Pleasures Roll, Who Can Describe the Joys That Rise, Who Shall Ascend Thy Heavenly Place, Why Do the Proud Insult the Poor, With Broken Heart and Contrite Sigh, Yes! Prayer Is Strong, and God Is Good.