O Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace in Tonic Solfa
O Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace in Tonic Solfa to ELLERS, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,O---s,Thou,-l,the- | s,pri----dmal--- |
| dfount-t,of-dlife-rand- | mpeace,------- |
| dWho---dshedd'st-rThy- | dbreath----ming--- |
| mqui--ret-mall-fea-- | sround,------- |
| sIn---dme-dcom-- | fmand---fthat--- |
| fpain-rand-mcon--fflict- | mcease,------- |
| dAnd---rtune-dto- | dmu----l,sic--- |
| s,ev--s,ery-l,jar--s,ring- | s,sound.------- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (E♭)
- Range
- s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ELLERS
- Words
- John Sterling
- Music
- Edward John Hopkins
Tune ELLERS by Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901); words by John Sterling (1806–1844). 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 · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
O Thou, the primal fount of life and peace,
Who shedd'st Thy breathing quiet all around,
In me command that pain and conflict cease,
And tune to music every jarring sound.
Make Thou in me, O God, through shame and pain,
A heart attuned to Thy celestial calm;
Let not the spirit's pangs be roused in vain,
But heal the wounded breast with soothing balm!
So, firm in steadfast hope, in thought secure,
In full accord with all Thy works of joy,
May I be nerved to labors high and pure,
And Thou Thy child to do Thy work employ.
In One who walked on earth, a man of woe,
Was holier peace than even this hour inspires;
From him to me let inward quiet flow,
And give the might my failing will requires.
So this great universe, — so he, and Thou,
The central source and wondrous bound of things,
May fill my heart with rest as deep as now
To land and sea and air Thy presence brings.
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. 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 fe. 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 Sterling wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 477, “Rest”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Tens (10.10.10.10), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ELLERS; any other Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Sterling (1806–1844)
- Music (1869): Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901)
Tune ELLERS by Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901); words by John Sterling (1806–1844).
Sung to the same tune: Go to the Grave in All Thy Glorious Prime, O Thou Great Friend to All the Sons of Men, Restore, O Father! to Our Times Restore, Saviour, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise.
Questions about O Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace
What is the doh of O Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace?
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 Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace start on?
It starts on s, (E♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is O Thou, the Primal Fount of Life and Peace in the public domain?
Yes. John Sterling died in 1844, Edward John Hopkins died in 1901; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1869. 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.