Joined in a Union Firm and Strong in Tonic Solfa
Joined in a Union Firm and Strong in Tonic Solfa to MATERNA, doh is C: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sJoined- | sin--mamu--snion- | sfirm--randrstrong,-mNo- |
| ffoe-sour-lranks-tcan- | sbreak;-----sTo- |
| svic---mto-mry-swe- | spress--ra-rlong,-r'And- |
| de'glo--r'rious-m'war--lfare- | r'make.-----sOur- |
| m'fer---m'ventr'prayers-d'shall- | d'still--tpre-tvail-d'A-- |
| r'gainst-ta-lhost-sof- | d'sins;-----d'And- |
| d'an---lgelslev--d'ery- | d'Chris---stianshail-sWhose- |
| llove-d'a-scon--r'quest- | d'wins.----- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (G)
- Range
- r to m' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- MATERNA
- Words
- Anonymous
- Music
- Samuel A. Ward
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by Anonymous. 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Joined in a union firm and strong,
No foe our ranks can break;
To victory we press along,
And glorious warfare make.
Our fervent prayers shall still prevail
Against a host of sins;
And angels every Christian hail
Whose love a conquest wins.
Then let our ranks, more closely joined,
With shield and buckler stand;
A kingdom we at last shall find,
The promised spirit-land.
Let all with harmony of voice,
In lofty praises join;
Let every soul in Christ rejoice,
With rapture all divine.
The kindling flame begins to glow,
Each heart grows warm with love;
And we enjoy on earth below,
The bliss of heaven above!
O thus forever may we feel,
And evermore display
Devotion's pure and holy zeal,
In Zion's chosen way.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (G), on the word “Joined”, 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 and the chromatic de. 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
These words were printed without an author's name in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 727 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “The Same”, where the book credits them to the Hymns of Zion.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Common Metre Double (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MATERNA; any other Common Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Anonymous
- Music (1882): Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903)
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by Anonymous.
Sung to the same tune: And Let This Feeble Body Fail, Behold, the King of Zion Rides, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, Jerusalem! My Glorious Home, My Shepherd Is the Lord on High, Not That Thy Boundless Love, My God, O God, That Madest Earth and Sky, O Thou, Who Didst Ordain the Word, The Earth, All Light and Loveliness, The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God, The World May Change from Old to New, Thou Must Go Forth Alone, My Soul, Who Shall Behold the Glorious Day, Ye Joyous Ones! upon Whose Brow.
Questions about Joined in a Union Firm and Strong
What is the doh of Joined in a Union Firm and Strong?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Joined in a Union Firm and Strong start on?
It starts on s (G in C major), a pickup on the word “Joined” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Joined in a Union Firm and Strong in the public domain?
Yes. Samuel A. Ward died in 1903; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1882. 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.