Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign in Tonic Solfa
Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign in Tonic Solfa to MESSIAH (HERALD), doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mLet--rthedbeasts-dtheir- | fbreath--mre-rsign,--- |
| sStran---lgerslto-sthe- | mlife-ddi--rvine;--- |
| mWho--rtheirdGod-dcan- | fnev---merrknow,--- |
| sLet--ltheirsspir--mit- | rdown---dwarddgo.--- |
| t,You--dforrhigh--fer- | mends--rweredborn,--- |
| rYou--mmayfall-lto- | sGod--fre-mturn,--- |
| mDwell--rwithdhim-da-- | fbove--mthersky;--- |
| sWhy--lwillsyou-mfor- | rev---derddie?--- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- t, to l (E to D, a seventh)
- Tune
- MESSIAH (HERALD)
- Words
- Charles Wesley, John Wesley
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791). 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 F · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Let the beasts their breath resign,
Strangers to the life divine;
Who their God can never know,
Let their spirit downward go.
You for higher ends were born,
You may all to God return,
Dwell with him above the sky;
Why will you for ever die?
You, on whom he favours showers,
You, possest of nobler powers,
You, of reason's powers possest,
You, with will and memory blest,
You, with finer sense endued,
Creatures capable of God;
Noblest of his creatures, why,
Why will you for ever die?
You, whom he ordained to be
Transcripts of the Deity;
You, whom he in life doth hold;
You, for whom himself was sold;
You, on whom he still doth wait,
Whom he would again create;
Made by him, and purchased, why,
Why will you for ever die?
You, who own his record true,
You, his chosen people, you,
You, who call the Saviour Lord,
You, who read his written word,
You, who see the gospel-light,
Claim a crown in Jesu's right;
Why will you, ye Christians, why
Will the house of Israel die?
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (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. 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 Wesley printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 7. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to MESSIAH (HERALD); any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Music (1839): Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined)
- Arranged (1839): George Kingsley (died undefined)
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).
Sung to the same tune: 'Tis My Happiness Below, Blessing, Honour, Thanks, and Praise, Bound upon the Accursed Tree, Come, and Let Us Sweetly Join, Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought, God of Love, We Look to Thee, Grace, Triumphant in the Throne, Happy Man Whom God Doth Aid, Happy Soul Who Sees the Day, Hark! How Time's Wide Sounding Bell, Jesus, We Thy Promise Claim, Lord! Thou Didst Arise and Say, Oft in Vain the Voice of Truth, Sinner, Art Thou Still Secure.
Questions about Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign
What is the doh of Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 the Beasts Their Breath Resign start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, Louis J. F. Herold died in undefined, George Kingsley died in undefined; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1839. 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.