Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day in Tonic Solfa
Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day in Tonic Solfa to SAVED BY GRACE, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 2 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mNotmon-fly | mdoth--rthes,voice-rful | dday--dThyt,lov-ding | fkind---mness,rLord!-,l,pro- | rclaim,--mButmnight,fwith |
| mits--rsub-s,limerar- | dray--mOfrworlds,mdoth | smag-fni-mfy--rThy | dname.--mYea,mwhilesa- |
| sdor---lingmser-sa- | sphim--sBe-sforefThee | fbendsthetwill---ling | sknee,--mFrommev-sery |
| sstar--lamcho-sral | shymn--sGoessupdun- | dceas-fing-mly--rto | dThee.-- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- s, to t (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- SAVED BY GRACE
- Music
- George C. Stebbins
Tune SAVED BY GRACE by George C. Stebbins (1846–1945); words by William Henry Burleigh (1812–1871). 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 · 3/4
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
Not only doth the voiceful day
Thy loving kindness, Lord! proclaim,
But night, with its sublime array
Of worlds, doth magnify Thy name.
Yea, while adoring seraphim
Before Thee bend the willing knee,
From every star a choral hymn
Goes up unceasingly to Thee.
Day unto day doth utter speech,
And night to night Thy voice makes known;
Through all the earth, where thought may reach,
Is heard the glad and solemn tone;
And worlds, beyond the farthest star
Whose light hath reached a human eye,
Catch the high anthem from afar,
That rolls along immensity.
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 “Not”, 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
William Henry Burleigh 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 89, “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Long Metre Double (8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SAVED BY GRACE; any other Long Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Henry Burleigh (1812–1871)
- Music (1894): George C. Stebbins (1846–1945)
Tune SAVED BY GRACE by George C. Stebbins (1846–1945); words by William Henry Burleigh (1812–1871).
Sung to the same tune: Let Not the Wise His Wisdom Boast, Saved by Grace, Thou Art the Way — and He Who Sighs, When Called, O Lord, to Mourn the Doom, When Long the Soul Had Slept in Chains.
Questions about Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day
What is the doh of Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day?
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 Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day start on?
It starts on m (A in F major), a pickup on the word “Not” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Not Only Doth the Voiceful Day in the public domain?
Yes. William Henry Burleigh died in 1871, George C. Stebbins died in 1945; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1894. 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.