O Perfect Love in Tonic Solfa
O Perfect Love in Tonic Solfa to PERFECT LOVE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dO---mper--sfect- | sLove,---sall--- |
| shu--sman-d'thought-ttran-- | tscend----ling,--- |
| rLow----mly-fwe- | skneel---min--- |
| dprayer-dbe--mfore-rThy- | t,throne,------- |
| dThat---mtheirs-smay- | sbe---sthe--- |
| slove-swhich-d'knows-tno- | tend----ling,--- |
| lWhom---sThou-ffor- | mev--ser--fmore-rdost- |
| l,join---t,in--- | done.------- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- l, to d' (B to D, a tenth)
- Tune
- PERFECT LOVE
- Words
- Dorothy F. Gurney
- Music
- Joseph Barnby
Tune PERFECT LOVE by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Dorothy F. Gurney (1858–1932). 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou for evermore dost join in one.
O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope, and quiet brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.
Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow,
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife;
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D).
- 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
Dorothy F. Gurney wrote the words in 1883. The tune PERFECT LOVE is by Joseph Barnby (1889).
- Words (1883): Dorothy F. Gurney (1858–1932)
- Music (1889): Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)
Tune PERFECT LOVE by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Dorothy F. Gurney (1858–1932).
Sung to the same tune: O Light of Light! When Other Lights Are Fading, Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation.
Questions about O Perfect Love
What is the doh of O Perfect Love?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Perfect Love start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is O Perfect Love in the public domain?
Yes. Dorothy F. Gurney died in 1932, Joseph Barnby died in 1896; the words were first published in 1883 and the music in 1889. 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.