In Time of Tribulation in Tonic Solfa
In Time of Tribulation in Tonic Solfa to ST. ALPHEGE, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 7 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dIn- | mtime-fof-stri--dbu-- | t,la----dtion,-dHear,- |
| t,Lord,-dour-fear--mnest- | rcries;-----dWith- |
| mhum--fble-ssup--spli-- | lca----stion-dTo- |
| dThee-rthe-mspir--rit- | dflies.----- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- t, to l (F♯ to E, a seventh)
- Tune
- ST. ALPHEGE
- Words
- James Montgomery
- Music
- Henry John Gauntlett
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854). 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
In time of tribulation,
Hear, Lord, our earnest cries;
With humble supplication
To Thee the spirit flies.
Remembered songs of gladness,
Through night's lone silence brought,
Strike notes of deepest sadness,
And stir desponding thought.
Hath God cast off forever?
Can time His truth impair?
His tender mercy never
Shall we presume to share?
Hath He His loving-kindness
Shut up in bitter wrath?
No! it is human blindness,
That cannot see His path.
We'll call to recollection
The years of Thy right hand,
And, strong in Thy protection,
Again through Faith we stand.
Thy way is in great waters,
Thy footsteps are not known;
But let earth's sons and daughters
Confide in Thee alone!
Through the wild sea Thou leddest
Thy chosen flock of yore;
Still on the wave thou treadest,
And Thy redeemed pass o'er.
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 “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
James Montgomery wrote these words. They were printed in the supplement of the 1866 edition of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1866), as hymn 548, “In Time of Tribulation”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens and Sixes (7.6.7.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. ALPHEGE; any other Sevens and Sixes tune fits them as well.
- Words: James Montgomery (1771–1854)
- Music (1852): Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876)
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854).
Sung to the same tune: O God of Light and Glory, The Light Pours Down from Heaven, The Mellow Eve Is Gliding, Thy Mighty Word Commanding.
Questions about In Time of Tribulation
What is the doh of In Time of Tribulation?
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 Time of Tribulation start on?
It starts on d (G in G major), a pickup on the word “In” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is In Time of Tribulation in the public domain?
Yes. James Montgomery died in 1854, Henry John Gauntlett died in 1876; the words were in print by 1866 and the music in 1852. 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.