Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord in Tonic Solfa
Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord in Tonic Solfa to ST. BEES, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 9 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dLet-dthe-dearth--t,now | l,praise-t,the-dLord,--- |
| rWho-rhath-mtru--s,ly- | l,kept-rHis-t,word--- |
| rAnd-fthe-msin---dners’ | t,Help-rand-dFriend--- |
| dNow-rat-dlast-dto- | dus--t,dothdsend.--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- ST. BEES
- Words
- Heinrich Held, Catherine Winkworth
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Heinrich Held (1620–1659); translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878). 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 · 4/4
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
Let the earth now praise the Lord,
Who hath truly kept His word
And the sinners’ Help and Friend
Now at last to us doth send.
What the fathers most desired,
What the prophets’ heart inspired,
What they longed for many a year,
Stands fulfilled in glory here.
Abram’s promised great Reward,
Zion’s Helper, Jacob’s Lord,
Him of twofold race behold,
Truly came, as long foretold.
Welcome, O my Savior, now!
Hail! my Portion, Lord, art Thou!
Here, too, in my heart, I pray,
O prepare Thyself a way.
King of Glory, enter in!
Cleanse it from the filth of sin,
As Thou hast so often done;
It belongs to Thee alone.
As Thy coming was in peace,
Noiseless, full of gentleness,
Let the same mind dwell in me
That was ever found in Thee.
Comfort my desponding heart;
Thou my Strength and Refuge art.
I am weak, and cunningly
Satan lays his snares for me.
Bruise for me the Serpent’s head,
That, set free from doubt and dread,
I may cleave to Thee in faith,
Safely kept through life and death;
And when Thou dost come again
As a glorious King to reign,
I with joy may see Thy face,
Truly ransomed by Thy grace.
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 d (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
Heinrich Held wrote these words in German. Catherine Winkworth's translation was printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 146.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. BEES; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Heinrich Held (1620–1659)
- Translated: Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
- Music (1862): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Heinrich Held (1620–1659); translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878).
Sung to the same tune: 'Tis a Point I Long to Know, "Give Us Room, That We May Dwell,", Children of the Heavenly King, Father, Hear Us When We Pray, Feeble, Helpless, How Shall I, For Thy Mercy and Thy Grace, Hark! a Voice Divides the Sky, Honey Though the Bee Prepares, Lord, We Come Before Thee Now, Lord! Deliver; Thou Canst Save, Nay, I Cannot Let Thee Go, Now Let Us Come Before Him, Now May Fervent Prayer Arise, Partners of a Glorious Hope, There's a Strife We All Must Wage, What a Mournful Life Is Mine, While the Stars Unnumbered Roll.
Questions about Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord
What is the doh of Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord?
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 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord in the public domain?
Yes. Heinrich Held died in 1659, Catherine Winkworth died in 1878, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1862. 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.