Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe in Tonic Solfa
Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe in Tonic Solfa to PLEYEL'S HYMN, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mOft-sin-rsor---mrow, | foft-rin-mwoe,--- |
| mOn--sward,-rChrist---mians, | fon--rward-dgo!--- |
| rBear-mthe-dtoil,--rmain- | t,tain-l,the-s,strife,--- |
| mStrength--sened-rwith--mthe | fBread-rof-dLife.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- PLEYEL'S HYMN
- Words
- Henry Kirke White
- Music
- Ignaz Joseph Pleyel
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by Henry Kirke White (1785–1806). 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
Oft in sorrow, oft in woe,
Onward, Christians, onward go!
Bear the toil, maintain the strife,
Strengthened with the Bread of Life.
Let not sorrow dim your eye;
Soon shall every tear be dry.
Let not woe your course impede;
Great your help if great your need.
Let your drooping hearts be glad;
March, in heavenly armor clad.
Fight, nor think the battle long;
Victory soon shall tune your song.
Onward, then, to battle move!
More than conquerors you shall prove;
Though begirt with many a foe,
Onward, Christians, onward go!
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).
- 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
Henry Kirke White wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 500.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to PLEYEL'S HYMN; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Henry Kirke White (1785–1806)
- Arranged (1790): Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined)
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by Henry Kirke White (1785–1806).
Sung to the same tune: As the Sun's Enlivening Eye, Blest Instructor! from Thy Ways, Choice of God, Thou Blessed Day, Christ, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Come, Said Jesus' Sacred Voice, For a Season Called to Part, Heralds of Creation! Cry, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, I Will Praise Thee Every Day, Interval of Grateful Shade, Lift Aloud the Voice of Praise, Morning Breaks upon the Tomb, Prayer an Answer Will Obtain, Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross, Softly Now the Light of Day, Sweeter Founds Than Music Knows, Swell the Anthem, Raise the Song, Thus Said Jesus: — "Go and Do, When, My Saviour, Shall I Be.
Questions about Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe
What is the doh of Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe?
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 Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe in the public domain?
Yes. Henry Kirke White died in 1806, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1790. 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.