Hymn · Tonic Solfa
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee in Tonic Solfa
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee in Tonic Solfa (doh is G), to Beethoven's HYMN TO JOY: solfa with the words, staff notation, all four verses and a piano.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- HYMN TO JOY
- Words
- Henry van Dyke
- Music
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Edward Hodges
The solfa with the words
| mJoy--mful,-fjoy--sful,- | swe-fa--mdore-rthee,- |
| dGod-dof-rglo--mry,- | mLord--rofrlove;--- |
| mHearts-mun--ffold-slike- | sflowers-fbe--mfore-rthee,- |
| dOp’--dning-rto-mthe- | rsun--da-dbove.--- |
| rMelt-rthe-mclouds-dof- | rsin-mandf_msad--dness;- |
| rDrive-mthef_mdark-rof- | ddoubt-ra--s,way;--- |
| mGiv--mer-fof-sim-- | smor--ftal-mglad--rness,- |
| dFill-dus-rwith-mthe- | rlight--dofdday!--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is G · 4/4
| m - m - f - s - | s - f - m - r - |Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,| d - d - r - m - | m - - r r - - - |God of glory, Lord of love;| m - m - f - s - | s - f - m - r - |Hearts unfold like flowers before thee,| d - d - r - m - | r - - d d - - - |Op’ning to the sun above.| r - r - m - d - | r - m f m - d - |Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;| r - m f m - r - | d - r - s, - - - |Drive the dark of doubt away;| m - m - f - s - | s - f - m - r - |Giver of immortal gladness,| d - d - r - m - | r - - d d - - - |Fill us with the light of day!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
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.
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 — only 5 different notes, so it is a good one for a choir new to solfa. 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
Henry van Dyke, an American minister and writer, wrote these words in 1907 to fit the great tune from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1824). The hymn-book version of the melody was adapted by Edward Hodges.
Most of the tune moves by step between d and s, with one drop to the low s, at the end of the third line — the note to watch when you teach it.
- Words (written 1907, published 1911): Henry van Dyke (1852–1933)
- Melody, from the finale of the Ninth Symphony (1824): Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
- Adapted as a hymn tune (1864): Edward Hodges (1796–1867)
Questions about Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
What is the doh of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore 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 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee in the public domain?
Yes. Henry van Dyke died in 1933, Ludwig van Beethoven died in 1827, Edward Hodges died in 1867; the words were first published in 1911 and the music in 1824. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.