Omnipresent God! Whose Aid in Tonic Solfa
Omnipresent God! Whose Aid in Tonic Solfa to MARTYN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mOm----mni--mpre----dsent- | rGod!---rwhose-raid----- |
| mNo---mone-sev----fer- | masked-----rin----- |
| dvain,----------- | mBe---mthis-mnight---da-- |
| rbout---rmy-rbed,----- | mEv----mery-se----fvil- |
| mthought-----rre------ | dstrain;----------- |
| sLay---sthy-shand---sup-- | lon-----lmy----- |
| ssoul,----------- | sGod---sof-smy---sun-- |
| lguard------led----- | shours!----------- |
| mAll---mmy-men----de-- | rmies---rcon--rtrol,----- |
| mHell,---mand-searth,---fand- | mna------rture's----- |
| dpowers.----------- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- d to l (F to D, a sixth)
- Tune
- MARTYN
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Simeon B. Marsh
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); 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 F · 6/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Omnipresent God! whose aid
No one ever asked in vain,
Be this night about my bed,
Every evil thought restrain;
Lay thy hand upon my soul,
God of my unguarded hours!
All my enemies control,
Hell, and earth, and nature's powers.
O thou jealous God! come down,
God of spotless purity,
Claim, and seize me for thy own,
Consecrate my heart to thee;
Under thy protection take,
Songs in the night season give;
Let me sleep to thee, and wake,
Let me die to thee, and live.
Only tell me I am thine,
And thou wilt not quit thy right;
Answer me in dreams divine,
Dreams and visions of the night:
Bid me even in sleep go on,
Restlessly my God desire,
Mourn for God in every groan,
God in every thought require.
Loose me from the chains of sense,
Set me from the body free,
Draw with stronger influence
My unfettered soul to thee;
In me, Lord, thyself reveal,
Fill me with a sweet surprise:
Let me thee when waking feel,
Let me in thy image rise.
Let me of thy life partake,
Thy own holiness impart,
O that I might sweetly wake
With my Saviour in my heart!
O that I might know thee mine!
O that I might thee receive!
Only live the life divine,
Only to thy glory live!
Or if thou my soul require
Ere I see the morning light,
Grant me, Lord, my heart's desire,
Perfect me in love to-night;
Finish thy great work of love,
Cut it short in righteousness,
Fit me for the realms above,
Change, and bid me die in peace.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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. 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 wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 287.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to MARTYN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Music (1834): Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined)
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: Christ, by Heav’nly Hosts Adored, God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Light of Life, Seraphic Fire, Men! Whose Boast It Is That Ye, Other Ground Can No Man Lay, Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart, Saved by Blood I Live to Tell, See the Gloomy Gath'ring Cloud, See! Another Year Is Gone, Though the Morn May Be Serene, Time, with an Unwearied Hand.
Questions about Omnipresent God! Whose Aid
What is the doh of Omnipresent God! Whose Aid?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Omnipresent God! Whose Aid start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Omnipresent God! Whose Aid in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Simeon B. Marsh died in undefined; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1834. 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.