Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising in Tonic Solfa
Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising in Tonic Solfa to WESLEY (MASON), doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| d'Lo,---tinlits | sbright--sness-sthe- | lmorn--d'ing-la-- | lris--sing,--- |
| m'Gold---r'onr'the | d'hill----ttopstin | lrich--sness-feis- | sspread;----- |
| d'Hea----tvenldecks | sth'earth-swith-sa- | f'beau--f'ty-m'sur-- | m'pris--r'ing,--- |
| s'Light---m'isf'the | s'vic--ttor,-d'and- | f'dark--m'ness-r'hath- | d'fled.----- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- d' (A♭)
- Range
- fe to s' (E𝄫 to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- WESLEY (MASON)
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WESLEY (MASON) by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 · 3/4
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
Lo, in its brightness the morning arising,
Gold on the hilltops in richness is spread;
Heaven decks the earth with a beauty surprising,
Light is the victor, and darkness hath fled.
Lord of the morning, our souls are awaking,
Flood them with beauty, and free them from gloom;
Morn speaks of joy, for when morning was breaking,
Free from death's bands Thou did'st rise from the tomb.
Souls that in slumber behold not the beauty,
See not the Master arise in His might;
Hear not the call to the doing of duty,
Know not the rapture that thrills in the light.
Morn speaks of life, — let us rise to new living,
Rise with the Lord to the freedom He gives,
Give to the world what the morning is giving,
Hope that was born in the darkness, and lives.
Lo, in its brightness the morning arising, —
Lord of the morning, our darkness dispel;
Shine in our souls, till, the sordid despising,
Rise we from earth in Thy presence to dwell.
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. 3/4 means three 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. 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 Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911), headed “Have mercy, Lord”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Elevens and Tens (11.10.11.10), and this page sets them to WESLEY (MASON); any other Elevens and Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1833): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WESLEY (MASON) by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning, Come unto Me, When Shadows Darkly Gather, Come, with the Load of Sorrow Thou Art Bearing.
Questions about Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising
What is the doh of Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising?
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 Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising start on?
It starts on d' (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d'.
Is Lo, in Its Brightness the Morning Arising in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1833. 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.