Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing in Tonic Solfa
Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing in Tonic Solfa to GALILEE (JUDE), doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mLord,s,a | rband-rof-rfoess,in- | dcreas--ding-dTer-dror | dto--l,mydheartrwould | mbring;---mForl,they |
| rtell-rmy-rsouls,un- | dceas--ding,-mThatmno | fhelp-l,from-mGodrcan | dspring.--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (C)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- GALILEE (JUDE)
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- William Herbert Jude
Tune GALILEE (JUDE) by William Herbert Jude (1851–1922); 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
Lord, a band of foes increasing
Terror to my heart would bring;
For they tell my soul unceasing,
That no help from God can spring.
Yet Thou art my shield about me,
Till the time of strife is past;
And though cruel foes may flout me,
Thou wilt hear my prayer at last.
On my couch when night was falling,
Lay I down devoid of fear;
And when morning light was calling,
I awoke, for thou wert near.
Tens of thousands round my dwelling
Stand arrayed to do me harm;
But my trust when foes are swelling,
Rests in Thine almighty arm.
Rise, O Lord, for Thou, victorious,
Hast the might of sin o'erthrown,
And amid Thy triumph glorious,
Bless the people Thou dost own.
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 m (C), on the word “Lord”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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. 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 “Psalm II”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), and this page sets them to GALILEE (JUDE); any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1887): William Herbert Jude (1851–1922)
Tune GALILEE (JUDE) by William Herbert Jude (1851–1922); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Bless, O Bless, Almighty Father, Christ, the Light That Shines Eternal, From the Table Now Retiring, In the Cross of Christ We Glory, Jesus Calls Us o’er the Tumult, Lo, the Day, the Day Approacheth, On the Dewy Breath of Even, Praise the Lord, When Blushing Morning, Soldier, to the Contest Pressing.
Questions about Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing
What is the doh of Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing?
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 Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing start on?
It starts on m (C in Ab major), a pickup on the word “Lord” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Lord, a Band of Foes Increasing in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, William Herbert Jude died in 1922; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1887. 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.