"Is This a Fast for Me?" in Tonic Solfa
"Is This a Fast for Me?" in Tonic Solfa to AYLESBURY, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| l,"Is---mthis-ra- | dfast-t,for-l,me?"--- |
| mThus---ssaith-fthe- | mLord-rour-mGod;--- |
| __d"A-t,day-l,for- | mman-dto-rvex-dhis- |
| t,soul,-l,And-mfeel-raf-- | dflic----t,tion's--- |
| l,rod?------- |
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- Key
- F minor
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- l, (F)
- Range
- l, to s (F to E♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- AYLESBURY
- Music
- From John Chetham's Psalmody, 1718
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune AYLESBURY (From John Chetham's Psalmody, 1718); words by William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649). 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 F minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
"Is this a fast for me?"
Thus saith the Lord our God;
"A day for man to vex his soul,
And feel affliction's rod?
"No; is not this alone
The sacred fast I choose:
Oppression's yoke to burst in twain,
The bands of guilt unloose?
"To nakedness and want
Your food and raiment deal,
To dwell your kindred race among,
And all their sufferings heal?
"Then, like the morning ray,
Shall spring your health and light;
Before you, righteousness shall shine,
Around, my glory bright!"
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 l, (F).
- 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
William Drummond of Hawthornden wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 387, “A Public Fast”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Short Metre (6.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to AYLESBURY; any other Short Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649)
- Melody (1718): From John Chetham's Psalmody, 1718
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune AYLESBURY (From John Chetham's Psalmody, 1718); words by William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: "Blest Are the Meek," He Said, And Will the God of Grace, Behold, the Grace Appears, Beside the Gospel Pool, Breathe on Me, Breath of God, Come at the Morning Hour, Come, Holy Ghost, in Might, Commit Thou All Thy Griefs, Far from These Scenes of Night, Father, I Will Not Pray, Great God, at Thy Command, How Heavy Is the Night, How Sweet the Melting Lay, I Hear the Voice of Woe, I Love Thy Church, O God, I Love Thy Zion, Lord, I Would, but Cannot Sing, Jesus Invites His Saints, Lord Jesus, Come! for Here, Lord, in the Strength of Grace, Mine Eyes and My Desire, My Former Hopes Are Dead, Now Is the Day of Grace, O Bless the Lord, My Soul, O Lord! Through Thee We Own, O the Almighty Lord, O, for the Death of Those, See What a Living-stone, Shall We Go on to Sin, Sing to the Lord Aloud, That Blessed Law of Thine, The Best That Heaven Could Bring, The Hours of Evening Close, The Lord My Shepherd Is, The Savior Kindly Calls, Thou One Begotten Son, Thy Name, Almighty Lord, Thy Word Invites Us Nigh, Tossed on the Sea of Life, We Lift Our Hearts to Thee, Welcome, Sweet Day of Rest, When Overwhelmed with Grief, When Shall Thy Love Constrain.
Questions about "Is This a Fast for Me?"
What is the doh of "Is This a Fast for Me?"?
In this version, in F minor, 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 "Is This a Fast for Me?" start on?
It starts on l, (F in F minor). Find doh first, then sing up or down to l,.
Is "Is This a Fast for Me?" in the public domain?
Yes. William Drummond of Hawthornden died in 1649; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1718. 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.