Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam in Tonic Solfa
Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam in Tonic Solfa to SUNBEAM: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the 4 verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Je-l,sust,wantsdmel,forda | t,sun---sbeam,-l,To |
| s,shine-fformHim-reach | mday;----_ |
| s,Inl,eve-t,rydwayl,trydto | t,please--sHim,-l,At |
| s,home,-fatmschool,-rat | dplay.----s,A |
| dsun---mbeam,-sa | ssun---t,beam,-- |
| sJe-fsusrwantst,merforfa | lsun---sbeam;-s,A |
| dsun---mbeam,-sa | ssun---t,beam,-- |
| sI’llt,berafsun-mbeamrfor | dHim.---- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- SUNBEAM
- Words
- Nellie Talbot
- Music
- Edwin Othello Excell
Tune SUNBEAM by Edwin Othello Excell (1851–1921); words by Nellie Talbot (1861–1950). 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 · 6/8
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 wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.
Refrain
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.
Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy,
His little one can be.
I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.
I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus,
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live for Him on high.
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 s, (D).
- Count the time. 6/8 means two dotted-crotchet beats (six quavers) 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
Nellie Talbot (Ellen Alice Talbot, 1861–1950), a Sunday school worker in Portsmouth, England, wrote the words after a Sunday school convention in 1898; they were in print by 1900. Edwin O. Excell wrote the tune SUNBEAM in 1900.
- Words (1900): Nellie Talbot (1861–1950)
- Music (1900): Edwin Othello Excell (1851–1921)
Questions about Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
What is the doh of Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam?
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 Wants Me for a Sunbeam start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam in the public domain?
Yes. Nellie Talbot died in 1950, Edwin Othello Excell died in 1921; the words were first published in 1900 and the music in 1900. 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.