Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul in Tonic Solfa
Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul in Tonic Solfa to PENITENTIA, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mNow---mwith-fmy- | sweep----ding--- |
| rwould--rImcleanse-fmy- | msoul,------- |
| mAnd---rwith-dmy- | lgrief---swould--- |
| sshame--smyfsin-ma-- | rway;------- |
| mBut---mtears-fno- | svir----dtue--- |
| lhave--ltolmake-mme- | fwhole,------- |
| fNor---msor--rrow- | spower-dto-dend-fsin's- |
| mhate----rful--- | dsway.------- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to l (E♭ to C, a sixth)
- Tune
- PENITENTIA
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Edward Dearle
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 Eb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Now with my weeping would I cleanse my soul,
And with my grief would shame my sin away;
But tears no virtue have to make me whole,
Nor sorrow power to end sin's hateful sway.
But yet the heart in sore distress that sighs,
Looks to the Christ His succour to impart;
And God receives the pleasing sacrifice,
A broken spirit, and a contrite heart.
Nailed to the cross I see my Saviour bleed, —
This is the sacrifice my soul requires;
Here is the cleansing, and the power I need,
To quell the rising of my vain desires.
Speak to my heart, O Jesus Christ, Who came
Fired by Thy love, an offering for sin;
And by a love enkindled at that flame,
Win me forever from the self within.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 (G).
- 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. 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911), headed “_Refrain._”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Tens (10.10.10.10), and this page sets them to PENITENTIA; any other Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1880): Edward Dearle (1806–1891)
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Father! I Wait Thy Word. the Sun Doth Stand, Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb, Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos, Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace, Thou That Art Strong to Comfort, Look on Me, Wake to the Songs That Lips Unsullied Sing.
Questions about Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul
What is the doh of Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Edward Dearle died in 1891; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1880. 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.