O God of Light and Glory in Tonic Solfa
O God of Light and Glory in Tonic Solfa to ST. ALPHEGE, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dO- | mGod-fof-slight-dand- | t,glo----dry,-dThy- |
| t,ser--dvants-flook-mto- | rsee-----dThe- |
| mlight-fthat-sshines-sef-- | lful----sgent-dUp-- |
| don-rtheir-msouls-rfrom- | dThee.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- t, to l (F♯ to E, a seventh)
- Tune
- ST. ALPHEGE
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Henry John Gauntlett
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
O God of light and glory,
Thy servants look to see
The light that shines effulgent
Upon their souls from Thee.
And lo! the heavens are open,
And from the throne of God,
The Christ, the Light eternal,
That glory sheds abroad.
And eyes reflect the beauty,
And hearts responding glow;
For only they who see Thee
Can in Thy likeness grow.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (G), on the word “O”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Greek Office Books (Paisley, 1904).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens and Sixes (7.6.7.6), and this page sets them to ST. ALPHEGE; any other Sevens and Sixes tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1904): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1852): Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876)
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: In Time of Tribulation, The Light Pours Down from Heaven, The Mellow Eve Is Gliding, Thy Mighty Word Commanding.
Questions about O God of Light and Glory
What is the doh of O God of Light and Glory?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 Light and Glory start on?
It starts on d (G in G 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 Light and Glory in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Henry John Gauntlett died in 1876; the words were in print by 1904 and the music in 1852. 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.