Jesus, I Believe Thee Near in Tonic Solfa
Jesus, I Believe Thee Near in Tonic Solfa to RATISBON (WERNER), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sJe--ssus,-lI-tbe-- | d'lieve-d'thee-tnear,--- |
| lNow-d'my-sfall--men- | fsoul-rre--dstore!--- |
| mNow-mmy-rguilt--my- | fcon--fscience-mclear,--- |
| mGive-lme-seback-lmy- | tpeace-tand-lpower,--- |
| d'Stone-lto-sflesh-ma-- | fgain-fcon--mvert,--- |
| lWrite-lfor--sgive--mness- | ron-rmy-dheart.--- |
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- 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
Jesus, I believe thee near,
Now my fallen soul restore!
Now my guilty conscience clear,
Give me back my peace and power,
Stone to flesh again convert,
Write forgiveness on my heart.
I believe thy pardoning grace,
As at the beginning, free;
Open are thy arms to embrace
Me, the worst of rebels, me;
In me all the hindrance lies;
Called, I still refuse to rise.
Yet, for thy own mercy's sake,
Patience with thy rebel have;
Me thy mercy's witness make,
Witness of thy power to save;
Make me willing to be free,
Restless to be saved by thee.
Now the gracious work begin,
Mow for good some token give;
Give me now to feel my sin,
Give me now my sin to leave;
Bid me look on thee and mourn,
Bid me to thy arms return.
Take this heart of stone away,
Melt me into gracious tears;
Grant me power to watch and pray.
Till thy lovely face appears,
Till thy favour I retrieve,
Till by faith again I live.
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 173.
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, Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep, 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 Jesus, I Believe Thee Near
What is the doh of Jesus, I Believe Thee Near?
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 Jesus, I Believe Thee Near start on?
It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Jesus, I Believe Thee Near 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.