One There Is, Above All Others in Tonic Solfa
One There Is, Above All Others in Tonic Solfa to KALMAR, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dOne-dthere-l,is,-l,a-- | t,bove-s,all-do--dthers,- |
| mWell-fde--rserves-sthe- | sname-feof-sfriend;--- |
| dHis-dis-l,love-l,be-- | t,yond-s,a-dbroth--der's,- |
| mCost--fly,-rfree,-sand- | sknows-feno-send:--- |
| sThey-mwho-lonce-shis- | fkind--mness-rprove,--- |
| mFind-dit-fev--mer-- | rlast--ring-dlove!--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- KALMAR
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Swedish Traditional
Tune KALMAR (Swedish Traditional); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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
One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of friend;
His is love beyond a brother's,
Costly, free, and knows no end:
They who once his kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love!
Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconciled, in him to God:
This was boundless love indeed!
Jesus is a friend in need.
Men, when raised to lofty stations,
Often know their friends no more;
Slight and scorn their poor relations
Though they valued them before.
But our Savior always owns
Those whom he redeemed with groans.
When he lived on earth abased,
Friend of sinners was his name;
Now, above all glory raised,
He rejoices in the same:
Still he calls them brethren, friends,
And to all their wants attends.
Could we bear from one another,
What he daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother,
Loves us though we treat him thus:
Though for good we render ill,
He accounts us brethren still.
O for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
We, alas! forget too often,
What a Friend we have above:
But when home our souls are brought,
We will love thee as we ought.
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 d (G).
- 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book I, hymn 53, “A friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Pr 18:24”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.7.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to KALMAR; any other 8.7.8.7.7.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Melody (1676): Swedish Traditional
Tune KALMAR (Swedish Traditional); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Christ Is Born, Go Forth to Meet Him, Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices, In the Bliss of Old Predicted, Jesus, Brightness of the Father, Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder, Precious Bible! What a Treasure, Through the Day Thy Love Hath Spared Us, Who Is This That Comes from Edom, Yes! Since God Himself Has Said It.
Questions about One There Is, Above All Others
What is the doh of One There Is, Above All Others?
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 One There Is, Above All Others start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is One There Is, Above All Others in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1676. 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.