Lead, Kindly Light in Tonic Solfa
Lead, Kindly Light in Tonic Solfa to LUX BENIGNA: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Lead,dkind-rly | mLight,-,ma-rmiddth’en-l,cir-dcling | l,gloom-s,_--- | dLead-t,Thou-dme- | ron;--s,Thednightris |
| mdark,-,mandrIdaml,fardfrom | l,home-s,_--- | s,Lead-dThou--t,me | t,on-d_--- |
| rKeep-rThou-rmy- | rfeet;---rI- | rdomnotraskd_t,tol,_ | s,see----- |
| mThe-rdis--dtant- | dscene;--donet,stepl,e- | s,nough-d_--t,for | t,me-d_--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- s, (E♭)
- Range
- s, to m (E♭ to C, a sixth)
- Tune
- LUX BENIGNA
- Words
- John Henry Newman
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune LUX BENIGNA by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by John Henry Newman (1801–1890). 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 Ab · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Lead, kindly Light, amid th’ encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on.
I loved the garish day; and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost a while.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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, (E♭), on the word “Lead”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/4 means three 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m 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
John Henry Newman wrote the words as a poem in 1833. The tune, LUX BENIGNA, is by John Bacchus Dykes (1865).
- Words (1833): John Henry Newman (1801–1890)
- Music (1865): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune LUX BENIGNA by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by John Henry Newman (1801–1890).
Questions about Lead, Kindly Light
What is the doh of Lead, Kindly Light?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Lead, Kindly Light start on?
It starts on s, (E♭ in Ab major), a pickup on the word “Lead” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Lead, Kindly Light in the public domain?
Yes. John Henry Newman died in 1890, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were first published in 1833 and the music in 1865. 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.