Onward, Christian Soldiers in Tonic Solfa
Onward, Christian Soldiers in Tonic Solfa to ST. GERTRUDE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sOn--sward,-sChris--stian- | ssol---l_sdiers,--- |
| rmarch--ring-das-rto- | mwar,------- |
| dWith-mthe-scross-d'of- | d'Je----tsus--- |
| lgo--ling-mon-febe-- | sfore.------- |
| rChrist,-rthe-sroy--ral- | mMas---f_mter,--- |
| sleads-sa--d'gainst-sthe- | lfoe;------- |
| lFor--sward-fin--sto- | lbat--s_-ftle-s_- |
| lsee-sHis-fban--mners- | rgo!------- |
| dOn--dward,-dChris--dtian- | dsol--t,_l,_t,diers-d_- |
| rmarch--ring-ras-dtor_ | mwar,------- |
| sWith-sthe-d'cross-tof- | d'Je----ssus--- |
| fgo--ming-ron--dbe- | dfore.------- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (B♭)
- Range
- l, to d' (C to E♭, a tenth)
- Tune
- ST. GERTRUDE
- Words
- Sabine Baring-Gould
Tune ST. GERTRUDE by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924). 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 · 4/4
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
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!
Refrain
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never ’gainst that church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.
Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
This through countless ages men and angels sing.
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 s (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 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
Sabine Baring-Gould wrote the words, first published in 1865. The tune, ST. GERTRUDE, is by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1871).
- Words (1865): Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924)
- Music (1871): Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900)
Tune ST. GERTRUDE by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924).
Questions about Onward, Christian Soldiers
What is the doh of Onward, Christian Soldiers?
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 Onward, Christian Soldiers start on?
It starts on s (B♭ in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Onward, Christian Soldiers in the public domain?
Yes. Sabine Baring-Gould died in 1924, Arthur Seymour Sullivan died in 1900; the words were first published in 1865 and the music in 1871. 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.