Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands) in Tonic Solfa
Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands) in Tonic Solfa to HOLLINGSIDE, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mLet-sus-ljoin,-s('tis- | sGod--fcom-mmands)--- |
| d'Let-tus-ljoin-sour- | mhearts-dand-rhands--- |
| mHelp-sto-lgain-sour- | scall---fing'smhope,--- |
| mBuild-fwe-meach-rthe- | moth---rerdup:--- |
| dGod-fhis-mbless--fings- | tashall-ldis--spense,--- |
| lGod-lshall-tcrown-d'his- | for--mdi--rnance;--- |
| mMeet-sin-lhis-sap-- | spoint---fedmways;--- |
| mNour--fish-mus-rwith- | mso---rcialdgrace.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- HOLLINGSIDE
- Words
- Charles Wesley, John Wesley
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune HOLLINGSIDE by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); 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 D · 4/4
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
Let us join, ('tis God commands)
Let us join our hearts and hands
Help to gain our calling's hope,
Build we each the other up:
God his blessings shall dispense,
God shall crown his ordinance;
Meet in his appointed ways;
Nourish us with social grace.
Let us then as brethren love,
Faithfully his gifts improve,
Carry on the earnest strife,
Walk in holiness of life;
Still forget the things behind,
Follow Christ in heart and mind,
Toward the mark unwearied press,
Seize the crown of righteousness.
Plead we thus for faith alone,
Faith which by our works is shown:
God it is who justifies;
Only faith the grace applies;
Active faith that lives within,
Conquers earth, and hell, and sin,
Sanctifies, and makes us whole,
Forms the Saviour in the soul.
Let us for this faith contend,
Sure salvation is its end:
Heaven already is begun,
Everlasting life is won.
Only let us persevere,
Till we see our Lord appear,
Never from the rock remove,
Saved by faith, which works by love.
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 m (F♯).
- 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 ta. 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 521. 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 HOLLINGSIDE; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Music (1861): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune HOLLINGSIDE by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).
Sung to the same tune: A Believer, Free from Care, After All That I Have Done, Depth of Mercy! Can There Be, Does the Gospel-word Proclaim, Fix My Heart and Eyes on Thine, Hark! the Song of Jubilee, Let Us Join, as God Commands, Lord, Have Mercy When We Pray, Lord, in Heaven, Thy Dwelling-place, Pilgrim, Burdened with Thy Sin, See How Great a Flame Aspires.
Questions about Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands)
What is the doh of Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands)?
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 Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands) start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Let Us Join, ('Tis God Commands) in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1861. 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.