Lord, Speak to Me in Tonic Solfa
Lord, Speak to Me in Tonic Solfa to CANONBURY: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the seven verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Lord,- | mspeak-mto-mme,-fthatm_ | rI-dmayr_mspeak-s,In- |
| l,liv--t,ing-dech--roes- | t,of-l,Thy-s,tone;-s,As- |
| mThou-mhas-msought,-fsom_ | rlet-dmer_mseek-s,Thine- |
| l,err--t,ing-dchild--mrenr_ | dlost-t,and-dlone.- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (D)
- Range
- s, to f (D to C, a seventh)
- Tune
- CANONBURY
- Music
- Robert Schumann
Tune CANONBURY by Robert Schumann (1810–1856); words by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Lord, speak to me, that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou has sought, so let me seek
Thine erring children lost and lone.
O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.
O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.
O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.
O give Thine own sweet rest to me,
That I may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.
O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
Until my very heart overflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.
O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessèd face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 s, (D), on the word “Lord”, 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. 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
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote these words in 1872 at Winterdyne, Bewdley, Worcestershire, for the use of lay helpers in the church. The tune CANONBURY is adapted from Robert Schumann’s Nachtstück, Opus 23, No. 4 (1839).
- Words (1872): Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879)
- Music (1839): Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Tune CANONBURY by Robert Schumann (1810–1856); words by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879).
Questions about Lord, Speak to Me
What is the doh of Lord, Speak to Me?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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, Speak to Me start on?
It starts on s, (D in G major), a pickup on the word “Lord” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Lord, Speak to Me in the public domain?
Yes. Frances Ridley Havergal died in 1879, Robert Schumann died in 1856; the words were first published in 1872 and the music in 1839. 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.