Let Sinners Take Their Course in Tonic Solfa
Let Sinners Take Their Course in Tonic Solfa to ST. BRIDE, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| l,Let- | m,sin--l,ners-dtake-t,their- | l,course,-----dAnd- |
| s,choose-dthe-mroad-rto- | ddeath;-----mBut- |
| rin-dthe-t,wor--l,ship- | s,of-f,my-m,God-mI'll- |
| l,spend-rmy-ddail--t,y- | l,breath.----- |
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- Key
- G minor
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- l, (G)
- Range
- m, to m (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. BRIDE
- Words
- Isaac Watts
- Music
- Samuel Howard
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). 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 Bb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Let sinners take their course,
And choose the road to death;
But in the worship of my God
I'll spend my daily breath.
My thoughts address his throne
When morning brings the light;
I seek his blessing every noon,
And pay my vows at night.
Thou wilt regard my cries,
O my eternal God,
While sinners perish in surprise
Beneath thine angry rod.
Because they dwell at ease,
And no sad changes feel,
They neither fear nor trust thy Name,
Nor learn to do thy will.
But I with all my cares
Will call upon the Lord,
I'll cast my burdens on his arm,
And rest upon his word,
His arm shall well sustain
The children of his love;
The ground on which their safety stands
No earthly power can move.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 l, (G), on the word “Let”, 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. 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
Isaac Watts wrote these words for The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament (1719): Psalm 55, part 2, headed “Dangerous prosperity; or, Daily devotions encouraged”.
Watts' psalms were printed without tunes and sung to any tune of their metre, Short Metre (6.6.8.6). This page sets the words to ST. BRIDE; any other Short Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words (1719): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
- Music (1762): Samuel Howard (died undefined)
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748).
Sung to the same tune: All Hail, Life-bearing Cross, Behold What Wondrous Grace, Exalt the Lord Our God, Here, in This Place of Prayer, How Blest the Righteous Are, In Weariness and Pain, Let God the Maker's Name, Let Party Names No More, Lord What a Feeble Piece, My Saviour and My King, My Soul, Repeat His Praise, Not with Our Mortal Eyes, Now Let Our Voices Join, O Blessed Souls Are They, O Lord, Our Heavenly King, One Sweetly Solemn Thought, Out of the Deep I Call, Raise Your Triumphant Songs, Servants of Christ, Arise, Teach Me, My God and King, The Man Is Ever Blest, The Saviour Gently Calls, The Spirit, in Our Hearts, Thy Love Hath Sweetened Me, We Love This Outward World, When Man Grows Bold in Sin, Where Shall the Man Be Found, Who Has Believ'd Thy Word, Ye Servants of the Lord.
Questions about Let Sinners Take Their Course
What is the doh of Let Sinners Take Their Course?
In this version, in G minor, doh is Bb. 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 Let Sinners Take Their Course start on?
It starts on l, (G in G minor), a pickup on the word “Let” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to l,.
Is Let Sinners Take Their Course in the public domain?
Yes. Isaac Watts died in 1748, Samuel Howard died in undefined; the words were first published in 1719 and the music in 1762. 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.