In the Dark of Early Morn in Tonic Solfa
In the Dark of Early Morn in Tonic Solfa to INNOCENTS, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mIn--fthe | sdark-d'of-tear--lly- | smorn,---dEre--rthe |
| mlight-sdis--fpelled-mthe- | rgloom,---mCame--fthe |
| shearts-d'with-tsor--lrow- | storn,---dWeep---ring |
| mto-fthe-mlone--rly- | dtomb.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- INNOCENTS
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- French Melody, 13th cent., ascr., George Frederick Handel, The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); words by Traditional Greek; 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
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
In the dark of early morn,
Ere the light dispelled the gloom,
Came the hearts with sorrow torn,
Weeping to the lonely tomb.
Brought they aromatics rare
Culled from every choicest stem,
And from gardens blooming fair
Round thy slopes, Jerusalem.
Ah, the thoughts that filled the mind,
As they journeyed all alone,
For the Blessed Lord was kind,
And they loved Him as their own.
Glistening in the morning grey,
Whence those garments fairer far
Than the light that hails the day
In the glorious morning star?
List! their voices, heavenly, sweet,
As the light clad angels say,
Come, behold in reverence meet,
Where the risen Master lay.
Hail the gladness, hail the day,
Bring no spices, bring no tears;
Death has lost its power to slay,
And the grave is reft of fears.
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 m (F♯), on the word “In”, 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 Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens (7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to INNOCENTS; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody: French Melody, 13th cent.
- Music (1728): ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined)
- Melody (1850): The Parish Choir, London
Tune INNOCENTS by ascr., George Frederick Handel (died undefined); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Day by Day the Manna Fell, Forest Beasts, That Live by Prey, God of Mercy, Hear Our Prayer, Hail, All Hail the Joyful Morn, Hail, Thou Blessed Cross, All Hail, Hark, My Soul! It Is the Lord, In Thy Courts Let Peace Be Found, Lord, My Times Are in Thy Hand, Peace! the Welcome Sound Proclaim, Seems It in My Anguish Lone, Sinners, Turn; Why Will Ye Die, Slowly, by God's Hand Unfurled, Softly Fades the Twilight Ray, Songs of Praise the Angels Sang, They, Who on the Lord Rely, To Thy Temple I Repair, When Before Thy Throne We Kneel, Winter Has a Joy for Me.
Questions about In the Dark of Early Morn
What is the doh of In the Dark of Early Morn?
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 In the Dark of Early Morn start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major), a pickup on the word “In” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is In the Dark of Early Morn in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, ascr., George Frederick Handel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1728. 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.