Mark the Soft Falling Snow in Tonic Solfa
Mark the Soft Falling Snow in Tonic Solfa to BELSIZE, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mMark- | sthe-dsoft-mfall--ring- | dsnow-----dAnd- |
| mthe-l,dif--dfu--t,sive- | l,rain!-----mTo- |
| rheaven,-rfrom-swhence-feit- | mfell,-----sIt- |
| sturns-rnot-mback-fea-- | sgain;-----lTill,- |
| lwa--detering-rearth-lThrough- | lev--sery-mpore,-dIt- |
| dcalls-fforth-mall-rHer- | dse----t,cret--- |
| dstore.----- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- l, to l (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- BELSIZE
- Words
- Philip Doddridge
Tune BELSIZE by James William Elliott (1833–1915); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751). 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
Mark the soft falling snow
And the diffusive rain!
To heaven, from whence it fell,
It turns not back again;
Till, watering earth
Through every pore,
It calls forth all
Her secret store.
Arrayed in beauteous green,
The hills and valleys shine,
And man and beast are fed
By providence divine:
The harvest bows
Its golden ears,
The copious seed
Of future years.
"So," saith the God of grace,
"My gospel shall descend,
Almighty to effect
The purpose I intend;
Millions of souls
Shall feel its power,
And bear it down
To millions more."
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 “Mark”, 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 fe 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
Philip Doddridge wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 169, “The Gospel”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Hallelujah Metre (6.6.6.6.4.4.4.4), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to BELSIZE; any other Hallelujah Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
- Music (1892): James William Elliott (1833–1915)
Tune BELSIZE by James William Elliott (1833–1915); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751).
Sung to the same tune: O Zion, Tune Thy Voice, Ye Boundless Realms of Joy.
Questions about Mark the Soft Falling Snow
What is the doh of Mark the Soft Falling Snow?
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 Mark the Soft Falling Snow start on?
It starts on m (A in F major), a pickup on the word “Mark” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Mark the Soft Falling Snow in the public domain?
Yes. Philip Doddridge died in 1751, James William Elliott died in 1915; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1892. 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.