Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold (Ach Gott Vom Himmel) in Tonic Solfa
Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 6 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- l, to l (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL
- Words
- Martin Luther, Frances Elizabeth Cox
- Music
- From Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL (From Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524); words by Martin Luther (1483–1546); translated by Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812–1897). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mLook- | fdown,-mO-rLord,-lfrom- | lheav'n-fbe--mhold,-sAnd- |
| flet-mthy-rpit--sy- | fwa--m_-rken!-rHow- |
| ffew-mthe-rflock-lwith-- | lin-fthy-mfold,-sNe-- |
| fglec--mted-rand-sfor-- | fsa--m_-rken!-rAl-- |
| mmost-dthou'lt-t,seek-l,for- | dfaith-rin-mvain,-dAnd- |
| rthose-fwho-mshould-fthy- | rtruth-demain--rtain-rThy- |
| lWord-ffrom-sus-lhave- | sta--f_-mken.- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
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
Look down, O Lord, from heav'n behold,
And let thy pity waken!
How few the flock within thy fold,
Neglected and forsaken!
Almost thou'lt seek for faith in vain,
And those who should thy truth maintain
Thy Word from us have taken.
With frauds which they themselves invent
Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent
On thy pure doctrine grounded;
And, whilst they gleam with outward show,
They lead thy people to and fro,
In error's maze astounded.
God surely will uproot all those
With vain deceits who store us,
With haughty tongue who God oppose,
And say, "Who'll stand before us?
By right or might we will prevail;
What we determine cannot fail,
For who can lord it o'er us?"
For this, saith God, I will arise,
These wolves my flock are rending;
I've heard my people's bitter sighs
To heav'n my throne ascending:
Now will I up, and set at rest
Each weary soul by fraud opprest,
The poor with might defending.
The silver sev'n times tried is pure
From all adulteration;
So, through God's word, shall men endure
Each trial and temptation:
Its worth gleams brighter through the cross,
And, purified from human dross,
It shines through every nation.
Thy truth thou wilt preserve, O Lord, From this vile generation;
Make us to lean upon thy word, With calm anticipation.
The wicked walk on every side When, 'mid thy flock, the vile abide In pow'r and exaltation.
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), on the word “Look”, 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 and the chromatic de. 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
The words are by Martin Luther, first published in 1524. The English translation is by Frances Elizabeth Cox (1864). The tune, ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL, is from Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524. This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1524): Martin Luther (1483–1546)
- Translated (1864): Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812–1897)
- Melody (1524): From Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL (From Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524); words by Martin Luther (1483–1546); translated by Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812–1897). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold (Ach Gott Vom Himmel)
What is the doh of Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold (Ach Gott Vom Himmel)?
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 Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold (Ach Gott Vom Himmel) start on?
It starts on m (A in F major), a pickup on the word “Look” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Look Down, O Lord, from Heaven Behold (Ach Gott Vom Himmel) in the public domain?
Yes. Martin Luther died in 1546, Frances Elizabeth Cox died in 1897; the words were first published in 1864 and the music in 1524. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.