On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry in Tonic Solfa
On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- t, to d' (C♯ to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- PUER NOBIS NASCITUR
- Words
- Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin, John Chandler
- Music
- Michael Praetorius
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune PUER NOBIS NASCITUR by Michael Praetorius (1571–1621); words by Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin (1676–1749); translated by John Chandler (1806–1876). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dOn- | dJor----rdan's- | mbank---fthe- | mBap----rtist's- | dcry---dAn-- |
| snoun----sces- | sthat-l_-tthe- | d'Lord---d'is- | d'nigh;---sCome,- |
| d'then,---d'and- | thear----sken,- | lfor---lhe- | sbrings---fGlad- |
| sti----mdings- | rfrom---mthe- | dKing---t,of- | dkings!--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is D · 3/4
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
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come, then, and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings!
Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
Make straight the way for God within;
Prepare we in our hearts a home,
Where such a mighty Guest may come.
For Thou art our Salvation, Lord,
Our Refuge, and our great Reward.
Without Thy grace our souls must fade
And wither like a flow'r decayed.
Stretch forth Thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise and fall no more;
Once more upon Thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.
To Him Who left the throne of Heav'n
To save mankind, all praise be giv'n;
Like praise be to the Father done,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One.
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), on the word “On”, 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.
- 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
The words are by Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin, first published in 1736. The English translation is by John Chandler (1837). The tune, PUER NOBIS NASCITUR, is by Michael Praetorius (1609). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1736): Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin (1676–1749)
- Translated (1837): John Chandler (1806–1876)
- Music (1609): Michael Praetorius (1571–1621)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune PUER NOBIS NASCITUR by Michael Praetorius (1571–1621); words by Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin (1676–1749); translated by John Chandler (1806–1876). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: From Nazareth.
Questions about On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry
What is the doh of On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry?
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 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “On” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry in the public domain?
Yes. Charles (or Carolo or Carolus) Coffin died in 1749, John Chandler died in 1876, Michael Praetorius died in 1621; the words were first published in 1837 and the music in 1609. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.