Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult in Tonic Solfa
Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult in Tonic Solfa to GALILEE (JUDE): the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mJe-s,sus | rcalls-rus;-ro’ers,the | dtu--dmult-dOfdour | dlife’s--l,wilddrest-rless | msea---mDayl,by |
| rday-rHis-rsweets,voice | dsound--deth,-mSay-ming, | f“Chris--l,tian,-mfol-rlow | dMe:”--- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (C)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- GALILEE (JUDE)
- Music
- William Herbert Jude
Tune GALILEE (JUDE) by William Herbert Jude (1851–1922); words by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895). 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 · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult
Of our life’s wild restless sea
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth,
Saying, “Christian, follow Me:”
As of old Saint Andrew heard it
By the Galilean lake,
Turned from home, and toil, and kindred,
Leaving all for His dear sake.
Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world’s golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, “Christian, love Me more.”
In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still He calls, in cares and pleasures,
That we love Him more than these.
Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies,
Saviour, make us hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best of all.
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 m (C), on the first syllable of “Jesus”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/4 means three 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. 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
Cecil Frances Alexander’s words were published in 1852. The tune GALILEE is by William H. Jude (1887).
- Words (1852): Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895)
- Music (1887): William Herbert Jude (1851–1922)
Tune GALILEE (JUDE) by William Herbert Jude (1851–1922); words by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895).
Sung to the same tune: Bless, O Bless, Almighty Father, Christ, the Light That Shines Eternal, From the Table Now Retiring, In the Cross of Christ We Glory, Lo, the Day, the Day Approacheth, Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing, On the Dewy Breath of Even, Praise the Lord, When Blushing Morning, Soldier, to the Contest Pressing.
Questions about Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult
What is the doh of Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult?
In this version, in Ab major, 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 Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult start on?
It starts on m (C in Ab major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Jesus” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult in the public domain?
Yes. Cecil Frances Alexander died in 1895, William Herbert Jude died in 1922; the words were first published in 1852 and the music in 1887. 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.