O God of Mercy, God of Might in Tonic Solfa

O God of Mercy, God of Might in Tonic Solfa to JUST AS I AM, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is Ab3/4
s,O-l,God-dof-t,mer----s,cy,-dGod---rof-mmight,-----
mIn-mlove-mand-fpi----mty-rin----dfin--t,ite,-----
rTeach-mus,-fas-sev----mer-din---t,Thy-l,sight,-----
l,To-t,live-dour-mlife---rto-dThee.---

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
3/4
Starts on
s, (E♭)
Range
s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
Tune
JUST AS I AM
Words
Godfrey Thring
Music
Joseph Barnby

Tune JUST AS I AM by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Godfrey Thring (1823–1903). 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 · 3/4

| s, - l, - d - O God of| t, - - - s, - mercy,| d - - - r - God of| m - - - - - |might,
| m - m - m - In love and| f - - - m - pity| r - - - d - infin-| t, - - - - - |ite,
| r - m - f - Teach us, as| s - - - m - ever| d - - - t, - in Thy| l, - - - - - |sight,
| l, - t, - d - To live our| m - - - r - life to| d - - - |Thee.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.

The words

O God of mercy, God of might,
In love and pity infinite,
Teach us, as ever in Thy sight,
To live our life to Thee.

And Thou, who cam’st on earth to die
That fallen man might live thereby,
O hear us, for to Thee we cry,
In hope, O Lord, to Thee.

Teach us the lesson Thou hast taught,
To feel for those Thy blood hath bought,
That every word and deed and thought
May work a work for Thee.

For all are brethren, far and wide,
Since Thou, O Lord, for all hast died;
Then teach us, whatsoe’er betide,
To love them all in Thee.

In sickness, sorrow, want, or care,
Whate’er it be, ’tis ours to share;
May we, where help is needed, there
Give help as unto Thee!

And may Thy Holy Spirit move
All those who live to live in love,
Till Thou shalt greet in heaven above
All those who give to Thee.

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 s, (E♭).
  • 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.
  • 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

Godfrey Thring wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 362.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.8.8.6, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to JUST AS I AM; any other 8.8.8.6 tune fits them as well.

Tune JUST AS I AM by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Godfrey Thring (1823–1903).

Sung to the same tune: Drawn to the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed, God of My Life, Thy Boundless Grace.

Questions about O God of Mercy, God of Might

What is the doh of O God of Mercy, God of Might?

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 O God of Mercy, God of Might start on?

It starts on s, (E♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.

Is O God of Mercy, God of Might in the public domain?

Yes. Godfrey Thring died in 1903, Joseph Barnby died in 1896; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1892. 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.

More by Godfrey Thring

Everything by Godfrey Thring (3 hymns)

More by Joseph Barnby

Everything by Joseph Barnby (10 hymns and 5 hymn tunes)