O Jesus, I Have Promised in Tonic Solfa
O Jesus, I Have Promised in Tonic Solfa to ANGEL'S STORY: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mO- | mJe---msus,rI-dhave- | dprom----t,ised-s,To- |
| fserve--fTheemto-rthe- | mend;-----mBe- |
| sThou--sfor-fev--mer- | mnear---fme,-mMy- |
| rMas---dtert,and-dmy- | rFriend;-----reI- |
| mshall--mnotrfear-dthe- | dbat----t,tle-s,If- |
| fThou--fartmby-rmy- | mside,-----mNor- |
| lwan---sderffrom-mthe- | spath----fway-l,If- |
| dThou--t,wiltl,be-t,my- | dGuide.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ANGEL'S STORY
- Words
- John Ernest Bode
- Music
- Arthur Henry Mann
Tune ANGEL'S STORY by Arthur Henry Mann (1850–1929); words by John Ernest Bode (1816–1874). 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 Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
O let me feel Thee near me,
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
O let me hear Thee speaking
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control!
O speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul!
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And, Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend!
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 m (B), 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 and the chromatic re. 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 Ernest Bode wrote the words, first published in 1868. The tune, ANGEL'S STORY, is by Arthur Henry Mann (1881).
- Words (1868): John Ernest Bode (1816–1874)
- Music (1881): Arthur Henry Mann (1850–1929)
Tune ANGEL'S STORY by Arthur Henry Mann (1850–1929); words by John Ernest Bode (1816–1874).
Sung to the same tune: “Come unto Me, Ye Weary, Ere God Had Built the Mountains, Go When the Morning Shineth, In the Broad Fields of Heaven, O Son of God, Afflicted, Through Jesus’ Blood and Merit, To Thee, My God and Saviour, To Thee, O Dear, Dear Savior, To-day Thy Mercy Calls Us, When, His Salvation Bringing.
Questions about O Jesus, I Have Promised
What is the doh of O Jesus, I Have Promised?
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 Jesus, I Have Promised start on?
It starts on m (B in G major), a pickup on the word “O” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is O Jesus, I Have Promised in the public domain?
Yes. John Ernest Bode died in 1874, Arthur Henry Mann died in 1929; the words were first published in 1868 and the music in 1881. 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.