Lord, Thy Word Abideth in Tonic Solfa
Lord, Thy Word Abideth in Tonic Solfa to RAVENSHAW: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the six verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dLord,-dThy-mWord-fa-- | sbid----seth,--- |
| lAnd-tour-d'foot--ssteps- | mguid--fe_-seth;--- |
| fWho-rits-mtruth-fbe-- | mliev--r_-deth--- |
| t,Light-dand-rjoy-mre-- | rceiv----deth.--- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- t, to d' (E to F, a ninth)
- Tune
- RAVENSHAW
- Words
- Henry Williams Baker
Tune RAVENSHAW by Latin Hymn (died undefined), Michael Weisse (died undefined) and William Henry Monk (1823–1889); words by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877). 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 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
Lord, Thy Word abideth,
And our footsteps guideth;
Who its truth believeth
Light and joy receiveth.
When our foes are near us,
Then Thy Word doth cheer us,
Word of consolation,
Message of salvation.
When the storms are o’er us,
And dark clouds before us,
Then its light directeth,
And our way protecteth.
Who can tell the pleasure,
Who recount the treasure,
By Thy Word imparted
To the simple hearted?
Word of mercy, giving
Succor to the living;
Word of life, supplying
Comfort to the dying!
O that we, discerning,
Its most holy learning,
Lord, may love and fear Thee,
Evermore be near Thee!
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 d (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 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
Henry W. Baker wrote these words for Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861). The tune RAVENSHAW was arranged by William Henry Monk in 1861 from a melody in Michael Weisse’s hymn book of 1531.
- Words (1861): Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877)
- Music: Latin Hymn (died undefined)
- Music (Ein Neu Gesangbuchlen, 1531): Michael Weisse (died undefined)
- Arranged (1861): William Henry Monk (1823–1889)
Tune RAVENSHAW by Latin Hymn (died undefined), Michael Weisse (died undefined) and William Henry Monk (1823–1889); words by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877).
Questions about Lord, Thy Word Abideth
What is the doh of Lord, Thy Word Abideth?
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 Lord, Thy Word Abideth start on?
It starts on d (F in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Lord, Thy Word Abideth in the public domain?
Yes. Henry Williams Baker died in 1877, Latin Hymn died in undefined, Michael Weisse died in undefined, William Henry Monk died in 1889; the words were first published in 1861 and the music in 1531. 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.