Now Let Us Come Before Him in Tonic Solfa
Now Let Us Come Before Him in Tonic Solfa to ST. BEES, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 14 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dNow-dlet-dus--t,come | l,be--t,fore-dHim,--- |
| rWith-rsongs-mand-s,prayers- | l,a--rdore-t,Him,--- |
| rWho-fto-mour--dlife | t,from-rhea--dven--- |
| dAll-rneed--ded-dstrength- | dhath--t,giv-den.--- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- ST. BEES
- Words
- Paul Gerhardt, John Kelly
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676); translated by John Kelly (1833–1890). 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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Now let us come before Him,
With songs and prayers adore Him,
Who to our life from heaven
All needed strength hath given.
The stream of years is flowing,
And we are onward going,
From old to new surviving,
And by His mercy thriving.
In woe we often languish
And pass through times of anguish,
Of wars and trepidation,
Alarming every nation.
A faithful mother keepeth
Guard while her infant sleepeth,
Its fear and grief assuaging
When angry storms are raging.
Thus God His children shieldeth
And full protection yieldeth;
When need and woe distress them,
His loving arms caress them.
In vain is all our doing;
The labor we’re pursuing
In our hands prospers never
Unless God watches ever.
Our song to Thee ascendeth,
Whose mercy never endeth;
Our thanks to Thee we render,
Who art our strong Defender.
O God of mercy, hear us;
Our Father, be Thou near us;
Mid crosses and in sadness
Be Thou our Fount of gladness.
To all that bow before Thee
And for Thy grace implore Thee,
O grant Thy benediction
And patience in affliction.
With richest blessings crown us.
In all our ways, Lord, own us;
Give grace, who grace bestowest
To all, e’en to the lowest.
To all forlorn be Father,
Thy erring children gather,
And of the poor and needy
Be Thou the Helper speedy.
Grant help to all afflicted;
And to the souls dejected,
By melancholy haunted,
May cheerful thoughts be granted!
O Lord, assistance lend us,
Thy Holy Spirit send us
That He may make us glorious
And lead to Thee victorious.
All this Thy hand bestoweth,
Thou Life, whence our life floweth;
To me and all believers
Grant, Lord, these New Year’s favors.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 (A♭).
- 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
Paul Gerhardt wrote these words in German. John Kelly's translation was printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 174.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. BEES; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676)
- Translated: John Kelly (1833–1890)
- Music (1862): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676); translated by John Kelly (1833–1890).
Sung to the same tune: 'Tis a Point I Long to Know, "Give Us Room, That We May Dwell,", Children of the Heavenly King, Father, Hear Us When We Pray, Feeble, Helpless, How Shall I, For Thy Mercy and Thy Grace, Hark! a Voice Divides the Sky, Honey Though the Bee Prepares, Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord, Lord, We Come Before Thee Now, Lord! Deliver; Thou Canst Save, Nay, I Cannot Let Thee Go, Now May Fervent Prayer Arise, Partners of a Glorious Hope, There's a Strife We All Must Wage, What a Mournful Life Is Mine, While the Stars Unnumbered Roll.
Questions about Now Let Us Come Before Him
What is the doh of Now Let Us Come Before Him?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Now Let Us Come Before Him start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Now Let Us Come Before Him in the public domain?
Yes. Paul Gerhardt died in 1676, John Kelly died in 1890, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1862. 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.