Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee in Tonic Solfa
Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee in Tonic Solfa to VIENNA, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mJe--rsus,-dLord,-mwe- | slook-fto-mthee,--- |
| l,Let-t,us-din-rthy- | t,name-l,a--s,gree;--- |
| dShow-t,thy--l,self-dthe- | fPrince-mof-rpeace;--- |
| sBid-four-mjars-rfor- | dev--t,er-dcease.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- VIENNA
- Words
- Charles Wesley
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Jesus, Lord, we look to thee,
Let us in thy name agree;
Show thyself the Prince of peace;
Bid our jars for ever cease.
By thy reconciling love
Every stumbling-block remove;
Each to each unite, endear,
Come, and spread thy banner here!
Make us of one heart and mind,
Courteous, pitiful, and kind,
Lowly, meek, in thought and word?
Together like our Lord.
Let us for each other care,
Each the other's burden bear,
To thy church the pattern give,
Show how true believers live.
Free from anger and from pride,
Let us thus in God abide;
All the depths of love express,
All the heights of holiness!
Let us then with joy remove
To the family above;
On the wings of angels fly,
Show how true believers die.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (B).
- 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
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 509.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens (7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to VIENNA; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Music (1799): Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined)
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: Angels, Roll the Rock Away, Blessed State! and Happy He, Christians! Brethren! Ere We Part, Come the Rich and Come the Poor, Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare, Father, at Thy Footstool See, Father, in Thy Presence Now, God Made All His Creatures Free, Happy Soul, That Safe from Harm, In the Morning I Will Pray, In Themselves, as Weak as Worms, Jesus Comes with All His Grace, Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love, Lord of Mercy, at Thy Gate, Lord! That I May Learn of Thee, Morn of Beauty, Joyous Morn, Now May He Who from the Dead, People of the Living God, Praise on Thee, in Zion's Gates, Sacred Day, Forever Blest, Saviour of the Sin-sick Soul, Sinner, Rouse Thee from Thy Sleep, Soldiers of the Cross, Arise, Son of God! Thy People's Shield, Thanks to God for Those Who Came, Unbelief the Soul Dismays, Waving in the Autumn Breeze, We Would Leave, O God, to Thee, When My Love to Christ Grows Weak, Wouldst Thou in Thy Lonely Hour.
Questions about Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee
What is the doh of Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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, Lord, We Look to Thee start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Justin Heinrich Knecht died in undefined; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1799. 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.