In the Sweet By and By in Tonic Solfa
In the Sweet By and By in Tonic Solfa to SWEET BY AND BY: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the 3 verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dThere’s-,ra | mland-rthatdisrfair--der-,l,than | s,day,-----dAnd-,rby | mfaith-mwemcanssee-sit-,ma- | rfar;-----dFor-,rthe |
| mFa--rtherdwaitsro--dver-,l,the | s,way,-----dTo-,rpre- | mpare-rusdardwell--dingt,place | dthere.-----mIn-,fthe |
| ssweet-----sby-,mand | rby,-----rWemshall | fmeet-fonfthatfbeau--mti-rful | mshore;-----mIn-,fthe |
| ssweet-----mby-,rand | dby,-----t,Wel,shall | s,meet-donmthatrbeau--dti-t,ful | dshore.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- SWEET BY AND BY
- Words
- Sanford Fillmore Bennett
- Music
- Joseph Philbrick Webster
Tune SWEET BY AND BY by Joseph Philbrick Webster (1819–1875); words by Sanford Fillmore Bennett (1836–1898). 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
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Refrain
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blest,
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessings of rest.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gifts of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.
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 d (G), on the word “There’s”, 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
Sanford Fillmore Bennett wrote the words and Joseph Philbrick Webster the music, both in 1868.
- Words (1868): Sanford Fillmore Bennett (1836–1898)
- Music (1868): Joseph Philbrick Webster (1819–1875)
Questions about In the Sweet By and By
What is the doh of In the Sweet By and By?
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 In the Sweet By and By start on?
It starts on d (G in G major), a pickup on the word “There’s” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is In the Sweet By and By in the public domain?
Yes. Sanford Fillmore Bennett died in 1898, Joseph Philbrick Webster died in 1875; the words were first published in 1868 and the music in 1868. 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.