O Thou Who Camest from Above in Tonic Solfa
O Thou Who Camest from Above in Tonic Solfa to HEREFORD: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mO- | mThou-rwho-dcam-- | rest-ffrom-ma-- | mbover_d_-rThe- | rpure-mce--sles-- |
| stial-ffire-mto- | lim----spart,- | fKin--sdle-ma- | mflame-rof-ssa-- |
| lcred---llove- | sUp--d'ont_lthesmean | sal--f_m_ftar- | fof-mmy-sheart,- |
| sUp--don-fthe- | fmean-m_r_sal-- | dtar-,r_mof-rmy- | rheart-d_--- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- HEREFORD
- Words
- Charles Wesley
Tune HEREFORD by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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 · 3/4
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 Thou who camest from above,
The pure celestial fire to impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
Upon the mean altar of my heart.
There let it for Thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze,
And trembling to its source return,
In humble prayer and fervent praise.
Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
To work and speak and think for Thee;
Still let me guard the holy fire,
And still stir up Thy gift in me.
Ready for all Thy perfect will,
My acts of faith and love repeat,
Till death Thy endless mercies seal,
And make my sacrifice complete.
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 m (G), on the word “O”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/4 means three 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
Charles Wesley published these words in Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures (1762). The tune HEREFORD is by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1872); it repeats the last line of each verse.
- Words (1762): Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Music (1872): Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876)
Tune HEREFORD by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Questions about O Thou Who Camest from Above
What is the doh of O Thou Who Camest from Above?
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 Thou Who Camest from Above start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major), a pickup on the word “O” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is O Thou Who Camest from Above in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Samuel Sebastian Wesley died in 1876; the words were first published in 1762 and the music in 1872. 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.