O Happy Day in Tonic Solfa
O Happy Day in Tonic Solfa to HAPPY DAY: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,O-dhap--rpy- | mday,-----s,that-dfixed-rmy- | mchoice-----mOn-fThee,-mmy- |
| rSa------dviour-mand-rmy- | dGod!-----s,Well-dmay-rthis- |
| mglow------s,ing-dheart-rre-- | mjoice,-----mAnd-ftell-mits- |
| rrap------dtures-mall-ra-- | dbroad.-----__mHap---fpy |
| sday,-------dhap---rpy | mday,-----mWhen-fJe--msus- |
| rwashed-----dmy-msins-ra-- | dway!-----sHe-staught-sme- |
| show-----sto-lwatch-sand- | mpray,-----sAnd-slive-sre-- |
| sjoic------sing-lev--sery- | mday:-----__mHap---fpy |
| sday,-------dhap---rpy | mday,-----mWhen-fJe--msus- |
| rwashed-----dmy-msins-ra-- | dway!----- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 3/2
- Starts on
- s, (C)
- Range
- s, to l (C to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- HAPPY DAY
- Words
- Philip Doddridge, Anonymous
- Music
- Wesleyan Sacred Harp (published by William McDonald)
Tune HAPPY DAY (Wesleyan Sacred Harp (published by William McDonald)); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751) and Anonymous. 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 F · 3/2
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
Refrain
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day:
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
O happy bond, that seals my vows
To Him who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
While to that sacred shrine I move.
’Tis done, the great transaction’s done!—
I am the Lord’s and He is mine;
He drew me and I followed on,
Charmed to confess the voice divine.
Now rest, my long-divided heart,
Fixed on this blissful centre, rest;
Here have I found a nobler part;
Here heav’nly pleasures fill my breast.
High heav’n, that heard the solemn vow,
That vow renewed shall daily hear,
Till in life’s latest hour I bow
And bless in death a bond so dear.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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, (C), 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. 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
Philip Doddridge’s words were published in 1755 in his Hymns Founded on Various Texts. The refrain and the tune HAPPY DAY were printed in 1854.
- Words (1755): Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
- Refrain (1854): Anonymous
- Melody (1854): Wesleyan Sacred Harp (published by William McDonald)
Tune HAPPY DAY (Wesleyan Sacred Harp (published by William McDonald)); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751) and Anonymous.
Questions about O Happy Day
What is the doh of O Happy Day?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Happy Day start on?
It starts on s, (C in F major), a pickup on the word “O” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is O Happy Day in the public domain?
Yes. Philip Doddridge died in 1751; the words were first published in 1755 and the music in 1854. 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.