Other Ground Can No Man Lay in Tonic Solfa
Other Ground Can No Man Lay in Tonic Solfa to MARTYN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mOth----mer-mground---dcan- | rno---rman-rlay,----- |
| mJe----msus-stakes---four- | msins-----ra------ |
| dway;----------- | mJe----msus-mthe---dfoun-- |
| rda----rtion-ris,----- | mThis---mshall-sstand,---fand- |
| mon------rly----- | dthis:----------- |
| sFit----sly-sframed---sin- | lhim-----lwe----- |
| sare,----------- | sAll---sthe-sbuild----sing- |
| lris------les----- | sfair;----------- |
| mLet---mit-mto---da- | rtem----rple-rrise,----- |
| mWor----mthy-shim---fwho- | mfills-----rthe----- |
| dskies.----------- |
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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, John Wesley
- Music
- Simeon B. Marsh
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791). 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
Other ground can no man lay,
Jesus takes our sins away;
Jesus the foundation is,
This shall stand, and only this:
Fitly framed in him we are,
All the building rises fair;
Let it to a temple rise,
Worthy him who fills the skies.
Husband of thy church below,
Christ, if thee our Lord we know,
Unto thee, betrothed in love,
Always let us faithful prove;
Never rob thee of our heart,
Never give the creature part;
Only thou possess the whole;
Take our body, spirit, soul.
Steadfast let us cleave to thee;
Love the mystic union be,
Union to the world unknown,
Joined to God, in spirit one:
Wait we till the Spouse shall come,
Till the Lamb shall take us home,
For his heaven the bride prepare,
Solemnize our nuptials there.
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
John Wesley printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 516. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.
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)
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Music (1834): Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined)
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).
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, Omnipresent God! Whose Aid, 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 Other Ground Can No Man Lay
What is the doh of Other Ground Can No Man Lay?
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 Other Ground Can No Man Lay start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Other Ground Can No Man Lay in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, 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.