Jerusalem the Golden in Tonic Solfa
Jerusalem the Golden in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 15 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (C)
- Range
- d to m' (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- EWING
- Words
- Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix, John Mason Neale
- Music
- Alexander C. Ewing
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune EWING by Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895); words by Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix (12th century); translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dJer-- | ru--dsa--flem-mthe- | rgol----dden,-mwith- |
| smilk-d'and-thon--seey- | lblest,-----lBe-- |
| sneath-mthy-mcon--rtem-- | dpla----rtion-msink- |
| mheart-mand-rvoice-dop-- | rpressed.-----rI- |
| fknow-mnot,-lO-tI- | d'know---r'not,-swhat- |
| m'joys--m'a-r'wait-d'us- | tthere,-----lWhat- |
| sra--mdian--mcy-rof- | dglo----rry,-mwhat- |
| mbliss-mbe--ryond--dcom- | dpare.----- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Jerusalem the golden,
with milk and honey blest,
Beneath thy contemplation
sink heart and voice oppressed.
I know not, O I know not,
what joys await us there,
What radiancy of glory,
what bliss beyond compare.
They stand, those halls of Zion,
all jubilant with song,
And bright with many'an angel,
and all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
the daylight is serene.
The pastures of the blessèd
are decked in glorious sheen.
There is the throne of David,
and there, from care released,
The shout of them that triumph,
the song of them that feast;
And they are with their Leader,
who conquered in the fight,
And won for them forever
their gleaming robes of white.
O sweet and blessèd country,
the home of God's elect!
O sweet and blessèd country,
that eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us
to that dear land of rest,
Who art, with God the Father,
and Spirit, ever blessed.
Brief life is here our portion,
brief sorrow, short lived care;
The life that knows no ending,
the tearless life, is there.
O happy retribution!
Short toil, eternal rest;
For mortals and for sinners,
a mansion with the blest.
That we should look, poor wanderers, to have our home on high!
That worms should seek for dwellings beyond the starry sky!
And now we fight the battle, but then shall wear the crown
Of full and everlasting, and passionless renown.
And how we watch and struggle, and now we live in hope,
And Zion in her anguish with Babylon must cope;
But he whom now we trust in shall then be seen and known,
And they that know and see Him shall have Him for their own.
For thee, O dear, dear country, mine eyes their vigils keep;
For very love, beholding, thy happy name, they weep:
The mention of thy glory is unction to the breast,
And medicine in sickness, and love, and life, and rest.
O one, O only mansion! O paradise of joy!
Where tears are ever banished, and smiles have no alloy;
The cross is all thy splendor, the Crucified thy praise,
His laud and benediction thy ransomed people raise.
Jerusalem the glorious! Glory of the elect!
O dear and future vision that eager hearts expect!
E'en now by faith I see thee, e'en here thy walls discern;
To thee my thoughts are kindled, and strive, and pant, and yearn.
Jerusalem, the only, that look'st from heaven below,
In thee is all my glory, in me is all my woe!
And though my body may not, my spirit seeks thee fain,
Till flesh and earth return me to earth and flesh again.
Jerusalem, exulting on that securest shore,
I hope thee, wish thee, sing thee, and love thee evermore!
I ask not for my merit: I seek not to deny
My merit is destruction, a child of wrath am I.
But yet with faith I venture and hope upon the way,
For those perennial guerdons I labor night and day.
The best and dearest Father Who made me, and Who saved,
Bore with me in defilement, and from defilement laved.
When in His strength I struggle, for very joy I leap;
When in my sin I totter, I weep, or try to weep:
And grace, sweet grace celestial, shall all its love display,
And David's royal fountain purge every stain away.
O sweet and blessèd country, shall I e'er see thy face?
O sweet and blessèd country, shall I e'er win thy grace?
I have the hope within me to comfort and to bless!
O shall I e'er win the prize? O tell me, tell me, Yes!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (C), on the first syllable of “Jerusalem”, 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 and the chromatic se. 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
The words are by Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix, first published in 1146. The English translation is by John Mason Neale (1858). The tune, EWING, is by Alexander C. Ewing (1853). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1146): Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix (12th century)
- Translated (1858): John Mason Neale (1818–1866)
- Music (1853): Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune EWING by Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895); words by Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix (12th century); translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Jerusalem the Golden
What is the doh of Jerusalem the Golden?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Jerusalem the Golden start on?
It starts on d (C in C major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Jerusalem” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Jerusalem the Golden in the public domain?
Yes. Bernard of Cluny aka. Bernard of Morlaix lived in the 12th century, John Mason Neale died in 1866, Alexander C. Ewing died in 1895; the words were first published in 1858 and the music in 1853. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.