O God of Life, in Whom We Live in Tonic Solfa
O God of Life, in Whom We Live in Tonic Solfa to MERIBAH, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dO--- | mGod--mofmlife,-rin-mwhom-fwe- | slive,-------mThe--- |
| lboun---ltieslof-sThy-ffa--mvour- | rgive,-------sAnd--- |
| tteach-lour-ssouls---feto--- | ssoar;-------sThat,--- |
| d'at-sthe-ssource-mof-fev--lery- | sgood,-------sOur--- |
| d'life-smay-sfind-mits-fneed--lful- | sfood,-------dAnd--- |
| rlive-ffor-mev----rer---- | dmore.------- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 3/2
- Starts on
- d (E♭)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- MERIBAH
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune MERIBAH by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); 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 · 3/2
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
O God of life, in whom we live,
The bounties of Thy favour give,
And teach our souls to soar;
That, at the source of every good,
Our life may find its needful food,
And live for evermore.
O Lord of mercy, by whose grace
The sinner seeks the Father's face,
And finds a welcome there;
When fears the trembling soul distress,
And sins the aching heart oppress,
O Lord of mercy, spare.
And say to Him who loves Thee best,
And sent Thee to a world distressed,
His blessing to impart, —
"Hear Thou the sinner's mournful cries,
Accept his preferred sacrifice,
A broken, contrite heart."
Blest Spirit, who in holy flame,
At Pentecost all powerful came, —
Our sin-stained souls renew;
And by Thine all-consuming fire,
Consume our sin and vile desire,
And make us pure and true.
To God who dwells in highest heaven,
Be endless praise and glory given, —
And praise to Christ the Son.
And to the Holy Spirit blest,
For comfort and for gifts the best, —
Immortal Three in One.
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 d (E♭), on the word “O”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/2 means three minim 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the East (Paisley, in print by 1911).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Common Particular Metre (8.8.6.8.8.6), and this page sets them to MERIBAH; any other Common Particular Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (by 1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1839): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune MERIBAH by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: At Early Dawn, with Pious Thought, Be It My Only Wisdom Here, Blinded in Youth by Satan's Arts, But We from Such Assaults Are Freed, Except the Lord Conduct the Plan, How Happy, Gracious Lord! Are We, If Solid Happiness We Prize, Light of My Life, O Lord, Thou Art, Lord, Thou Hast Won, at Length I Yield, May We Thy Precepts, Lord, Fulfil, O Lord! How Happy Should We Be, O Love Divine, How Sweet Thou Art, O, Could We Speak the Matchless Worth, The Joyful Morn, My God, Is Come, Thou God of Glorious Majesty, When, Lord, to This Our Western Land.
Questions about O God of Life, in Whom We Live
What is the doh of O God of Life, in Whom We Live?
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 O God of Life, in Whom We Live start on?
It starts on d (E♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the word “O” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is O God of Life, in Whom We Live in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1839. 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.