My God, and Is Thy Table Spread in Tonic Solfa
My God, and Is Thy Table Spread in Tonic Solfa to ROCKINGHAM: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the six verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dMy- | mGod,-f_-rand- | dis---mThy- | sta----lble- | sspread,---sAnd- |
| d'does---tThy- | lcup---swith- | slove-f_-mo’er-- | mflow?-r_-rThi-- |
| sther---lbe- | tall---sThy- | d'child--m_-feren- | sled,---dAnd- |
| flet---mthem- | rall---dits- | dsweet-r_m_-rness- | dknow.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ROCKINGHAM
- Words
- Philip Doddridge
- Music
- Edward Miller
Tune ROCKINGHAM by Edward Miller (1735–1807); 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 D · 3/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
My God, and is Thy table spread,
And does Thy cup with love o’erflow?
Thither be all Thy children led,
And let them all its sweetness know.
Hail, sacred feast, which Jesus makes!
Rich banquet of His flesh and blood!
Thrice happy he, who here partakes
That sacred stream, that heav’nly food!
Why are its dainties all in vain
Before unwilling hearts displayed?
Was not for you the Victim slain?
Are you forbid the children’s bread?
O let Thy table honored be,
And furnished well with joyful guests;
And may each soul salvation see,
That here its sacred pledges tastes.
Let crowds approach, with hearts prepared;
With hearts inflamed let all attend;
Nor, when we leave our Father’s board,
The pleasure, or the profit end.
Revive thy dying churches, Lord,
And bid our drooping graces live;
And more that energy afford,
A Savior’s blood alone can give.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D), on the word “My”, 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 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
Philip Doddridge’s words were published after his death in Hymns Founded on Various Texts in the Holy Scriptures (1755), edited by Job Orton. The tune ROCKINGHAM was adapted by Edward Miller in 1790.
- Words (1755): Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
- Adapted the melody (1790): Edward Miller (1735–1807)
Tune ROCKINGHAM by Edward Miller (1735–1807); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751).
Sung to the same tune: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.
Questions about My God, and Is Thy Table Spread
What is the doh of My God, and Is Thy Table Spread?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 My God, and Is Thy Table Spread start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “My” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is My God, and Is Thy Table Spread in the public domain?
Yes. Philip Doddridge died in 1751, Edward Miller died in 1807; the words were first published in 1755 and the music in 1790. 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.