Legion Was My Name by Nature in Tonic Solfa

Legion Was My Name by Nature in Tonic Solfa to LUX EOI, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is D4/4

sLe---sgiond'was-smy-

sname-fby-fna--mture,-

lSa--ltan-sraged-mwith--

rin-dmy-rbreast;---

sNev---serd'mis--d'e--

try-lwas-r'great--ser,-

feNev--mer-rsin--sner-

smore-fepos--ssessed:---

fMis--fchie--mvous-mto-

lall--la-lround-seme,-

lTo-tmy--d'self-tthe-

mgreat--seest-lfoe;---

sThus-d'I-m'was,-r'when-

d'Je--tsus-lfound-sme,-

saFilled-fwith-mmad--lness,-

dsin-rand-dwoe.---

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Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 4/4
Starts on: s (A)
Range: d to m' (D to F♯, a tenth)
Tune: LUX EOI
Words: John Newton
Music: Arthur Seymour Sullivan

Tune LUX EOI by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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 D · 4/4

| s - - s d' - s - Legion was my| s - f - f - m - |name by nature,

| l - l - s - m - Satan raged with-| r - d - r - - - |in my breast;

| s - - s d' - d' - Never mise-| t - l - r' - s - |ry was greater,

| fe - m - r - s - Never sinner| s - fe - s - - - |more possessed:

| f - f - m - m - Mischievous to| l - - l l - se - |all around me,

| l - t - d' - t - To myself the| m - se - l - - - |greatest foe;

| s - d' - m' - r' - Thus I was, when| d' - t - l - s - |Jesus found me,

| sa - f - m - l - Filled with madness,| d - r - d - - - |sin and woe.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

Legion was my name by nature,
Satan raged within my breast;
Never misery was greater,
Never sinner more possessed:
Mischievous to all around me,
To myself the greatest foe;
Thus I was, when Jesus found me,
Filled with madness, sin and woe.

Yet in this forlorn condition,
When he came to see me free;
I replied, to my Physician,
"What have I to do with thee?"
But he would not be prevented,
Rescued me against my will;
Had he stayed till I consented,
I had been a captive still.

"Satan, though thou fain wouldst have it,
Know this soul is none of thine;
I have shed my blood to save it,
Now I challenge it for mine,
Though it long has thee resembled,
Henceforth it shall me obey;"
Thus he spoke while Satan trembled,
Gnashed his teeth and fled away.

Thus my frantic soul he healed,
Bid my sins and sorrows cease;
"Take, said he, my pardon sealed,
I have saved thee, go in peace:"
Rather take me, Lord, to heaven,
Now thy love and grace I know;
Since thou hast my sins forgiven,
Why should I remain below?

"Love, he said, will sweeten labors,
Thou hast something yet to do;
Go and tell your friends and neighbors,
What my love has done for you:
Live to manifest my glory,
Wait for heav'n a little space;
Sinners, when they hear thy story,
Will repent and seek my face."

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (A).
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 fe se sa. 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book I, hymn 92, “The legion dispossessed. Mk 5:18,19”.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens Double (8.7.8.7.8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to LUX EOI; any other Eights and Sevens Double tune fits them as well.

Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
Music (1874): Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900)

Tune LUX EOI by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by John Newton (1725–1807).

Sung to the same tune: As in Solemn Congregation, Christ the Word! Thine Incarnation, Come, Thou All-inspiring Spirit, Could the Creatures Help or Ease Us, Hear What God the Lord Hath Spoken, Holy Father, Thou Hast Taught Me, In the Name Which Earth and Heaven, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, Let the World Despise and Leave Me, Love Divine, All Love Excelling, Mighty One, Whose Name Is Holy, Peace Be to This Habitation, We Have Met in Peace Together, Westward, Lord, the World Alluring.

Questions about Legion Was My Name by Nature

What is the doh of Legion Was My Name by Nature?

In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Legion Was My Name by Nature start on?

It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.

Is Legion Was My Name by Nature in the public domain?

Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Arthur Seymour Sullivan died in 1900; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1874. 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.