Jesus, I Will Ponder Now in Tonic Solfa
Jesus, I Will Ponder Now in Tonic Solfa to AURELIA, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mJe-- | msus,-mI-fwill-mpon-- | mder---rnow-dOn- |
| dThy-lho--sly-fPas-- | msion;-----fWith- |
| sThy-d'Spir--d'it-tme- | ten----ldow-sFor- |
| fsuch-smed--mi--dta-- | rtion.-----rGrant- |
| mthat-fI-sin-llove- | land---sfaith-d'May- |
| d'the--ti-lmage-mcher-- | fish-----rOf- |
| mThy-msuf--ffering,-mpain,- | mand---rdeath,-dThat- |
| dI-rmay-dnot-t,per-- | dish.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- t, to d' (C♯ to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- AURELIA
Tune AURELIA by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876); words by Sigmund von Birken (1626–1681); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). 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 will ponder now
On Thy holy Passion;
With Thy Spirit me endow
For such meditation.
Grant that I in love and faith
May the image cherish
Of Thy suffering, pain, and death,
That I may not perish.
Make me see Thy great distress,
Anguish, and affliction,
Bonds and stripes and wretchedness
And Thy crucifixion;
Make me see how scourge and rod,
Spear and nails did wound Thee,
How for man Thou diedst, O God,
Who with thorns had crowned Thee.
Yet, O Lord, not thus alone
Make me see Thy Passion,
But its cause to me make known
And its termination.
Ah! I also and my sin
Wrought Thy deep affliction;
This the cause alone hath been
Of Thy crucifixion.
Grant that I Thy Passion view
With repentant grieving
Nor Thee crucify anew
By unholy living.
How could I refuse to shun
Every sinful pleasure
Since for me God’s only Son
Suffered without measure?
If my sins give me alarm
And my conscience grieve me,
Let Thy cross my fear disarm,
Peace of conscience give me.
Grant that I may trust in Thee
And Thy holy Passion.
If His Son so loveth me,
God must have compassion.
Grant that I may willingly
Bear with Thee my crosses,
Learning humbleness of Thee,
Peace mid pain and losses.
May I give Thee love for love.
Hear me, O my Savior,
That I may in heaven above
Sing Thy praise forever.
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 m (F♯), on the first syllable of “Jesus”, 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. 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
Sigmund von Birken wrote these words in German. August Crull's translation was printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 192.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens and Sixes Double (7.6.7.6.7.6.7.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to AURELIA; any other Sevens and Sixes Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Sigmund von Birken (1626–1681)
- Translated: August Crull (1845–1923)
- Melody (1864): Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876)
Tune AURELIA by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876); words by Sigmund von Birken (1626–1681); translated by August Crull (1845–1923).
Sung to the same tune: God Comes, with Succor Speedy, God Is My Strong Salvation, How Lost Was My Condition, O Father, All Creating, The Church’s One Foundation.
Questions about Jesus, I Will Ponder Now
What is the doh of Jesus, I Will Ponder Now?
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 Will Ponder Now start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D 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, I Will Ponder Now in the public domain?
Yes. Sigmund von Birken died in 1681, August Crull died in 1923, Samuel Sebastian Wesley died in 1876; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1864. 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.