O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee in Tonic Solfa
O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee in Tonic Solfa to ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sO | sLord,-sour-sFa--tather,- | lthanks-sto-fThee--sIn |
| mthis-dnew-myear-fwe- | sren--l_-sder,--sFor |
| sThou-shast-sbeen-tafrom- | lmis--se--fry--sAnd |
| mdan--dgers-mour-fDe-- | sfend--l_-ser;--sThrough |
| d'all--tathelyear-sthat- | d'now-lhas-sfled--sHast |
| d'given--susslife-dand- | mdail--sy-mbread--dAnd |
| rpeace-fwith--min-rour- | dbor--r_-dders.-- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (B♭)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER
- Music
- From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER (From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524); words by Cyriacus Schneegass (1546–1597); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). 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 · 4/4
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 Lord, our Father, thanks to Thee
In this new year we render,
For Thou hast been from misery
And dangers our Defender;
Through all the year that now has fled
Hast given us life and daily bread
And peace within our borders.
Lord Jesus Christ, our thanks to Thee
In this new year we render,
For Thou still rulest zealously
Thy fold, with mercy tender;
Thou hast redeemed us with Thy blood,
Thou art our only Trust and Good,
In life and death our Savior.
Lord Holy Ghost, our thanks to Thee
In this new year we render,
For by Thy grace it is that we
Enjoy Thy Word’s pure splendor;
Thus Thou hast kindled from above
Within our hearts true faith and love
And other Christian virtues.
Our faithful God, we cry to Thee:
Still bless us with Thy favor,
Blot out all our iniquity,
And hide our sins forever;
Grant us a happy, good New Year
And, when the hour of death draws near,
A blest departure. Amen.
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 s (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 and the chromatic ta. 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
Cyriacus Schneegass wrote these words in German. August Crull's translation was printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 170.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.8.8.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER; any other 8.7.8.7.8.8.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: Cyriacus Schneegass (1546–1597)
- Translated: August Crull (1845–1923)
- Melody (1524): From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER (From Etlich Christlich Lider, Wittenberg, 1524); words by Cyriacus Schneegass (1546–1597); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: Across the Sky the Shades of Night, All Who Believe and Are Baptized, Thank God! My Jesus Cleanseth Me.
Questions about O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee
What is the doh of O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee?
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 Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee start on?
It starts on s (B♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the word “O” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee in the public domain?
Yes. Cyriacus Schneegass died in 1597, August Crull died in 1923; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1524. 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.