In the Morning Sow Thy Seed in Tonic Solfa
In the Morning Sow Thy Seed in Tonic Solfa to SPANISH HYMN, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dIn--dthet,morn--ding- | l,sow-dthy-s,seed,--- |
| mNor-dat-feve-rwith-- | dhold-t,thy-dhand;--- |
| mWho--mcanrtell-mwhich- | fmay-msuc--rceed,--- |
| mOr--mifrboth-ma-- | flike-mshall-rstand,--- |
| dAnd--dat,glo--drious- | l,har--dvest-s,bear,--- |
| mTo-dre--fward-rthe- | dsow--t,er's-dcare?--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- SPANISH HYMN
- Words
- Anonymous
- Music
- Spanish Traditional, Benjamin Carr, David Evans
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by Anonymous. 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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
In the morning sow thy seed,
Nor at eve withhold thy hand;
Who can tell which may succeed,
Or if both alike shall stand,
And a glorious harvest bear,
To reward the sower's care?
Sow it 'mid the haunts of vice —
Scenes of infamy and crime;
Suddenly, may Paradise
Burst, as in the northern clime
Spring, with all its verdant race,
Starts from Winter's cold embrace.
Sow it with unsparing hand;
'Tis the kingdom's precious seed,
'Tis the Master's great command,
And his grace shall crown the deed;
He hath said, the precious grain
Never shall be sown in vain.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 (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. 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
These words were printed without an author's name in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 1003 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “Active Benevolence”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SPANISH HYMN; any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: Anonymous
- Melody: Spanish Traditional
- Arranged (1822): Benjamin Carr (died undefined)
- Harmony (1927): David Evans (1874–1948)
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by Anonymous.
Sung to the same tune: God of Mercy, God of Grace, Lay Her Gently in the Dust, Lead Us with Thy Gentle Sway, O Disclose Thy Lovely Face, Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye, Saviour, Prince of Israel's Race, To the Father's Love We Trust, What Our Father Does Is Well, When Arise the Thoughts of Sin, When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams.
Questions about In the Morning Sow Thy Seed
What is the doh of In the Morning Sow Thy Seed?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Morning Sow Thy Seed start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is In the Morning Sow Thy Seed in the public domain?
Yes. Benjamin Carr died in undefined, David Evans died in 1948; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1822. 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.