Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep in Tonic Solfa
Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep in Tonic Solfa to RATISBON (WERNER), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sJe--ssu,-lShep--therd- | d'of-d'the-tsheep,--- |
| lPi--d'ty-smy-mun-- | fset--rtled-dsoul!--- |
| mGuide,-mand-rnour--mish- | fme,-fand-mkeep,--- |
| mTill-lthy-selove-lshall- | tmake-tme-lwhole:--- |
| d'Give-lme-sper--mfect- | fsound--fness,-mgive,--- |
| lMake-lme-sstead--mfast-- | rly-rbe--dlieve.--- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (A)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- RATISBON (WERNER)
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Werner's Choralbuch, William Henry Havergal
Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Jesu, Shepherd of the sheep,
Pity my unsettled soul!
Guide, and nourish me, and keep,
Till thy love shall make me whole:
Give me perfect soundness, give,
Make me steadfastly believe.
I am never at one stay,
Changing every hour I am;
But thou art, as yesterday,
Now and evermore the same;
Constancy to me impart,
Stablish with thy grace my heart.
Give me faith to hold me up,
Walking over life's rough sea,
Holy, purifying hope
Still my souls sure anchor be;
That I may be always thine,
Perfect me in love divine.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 s (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 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
Charles Wesley wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 183.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to RATISBON (WERNER); any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Melody (1815): Werner's Choralbuch
- Harmony (1861): William Henry Havergal (1793–1870)
Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: As the Hart, with Eager Looks, Centre of Our Hopes Thou Art, Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, Ever Patient, Loving, Meek, Holy Spirit, Come with Power, It Is Finished! Glorious Word, Jesus, I Believe Thee Near, Jesus, While He Dwelt Below, Lamb of God, Who Bear'st Away, On Thy Church, O Power Divine, Praise to God, Immortal Praise, Quiet, Lord, My Froward Heart, Safely Through Another Week, Savior Shine and Cheer My Soul, Weary Souls, That Wander Wide, When the Parting Bosom Bleeds, Who Shall Towards Thy Chosen Seat.
Questions about Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep
What is the doh of Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep start on?
It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, William Henry Havergal died in 1870; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1815. 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.