Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart in Tonic Solfa
Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart in Tonic Solfa to MARTYN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mPen----msive,-mdoubt----ding,- | rfear----rful-rheart,----- |
| mHear---mwhat-sChrist---fthe- | mSa------rvior----- |
| dsays;----------- | mEv----mery-mword---dshould- |
| rjoy---rim--rpart,----- | mChange---mthy-smourn----fing- |
| min------rto----- | dpraise:----------- |
| sYes,---she-sspeaks,---sand- | lspeaks-----lto----- |
| sthee,----------- | sMay---she-shelp---sthee- |
| lto-----lbe------ | slieve!----------- |
| mThen---mthou-mpre----dsent-- | rly---rwilt-rsee,----- |
| mThou---mhast-slit----ftle- | mcause-----rto----- |
| dgrieve.----------- |
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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
- John Newton
- Music
- Simeon B. Marsh
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); 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 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
Pensive, doubting, fearful heart,
Hear what Christ the Savior says;
Every word should joy impart,
Change thy mourning into praise:
Yes, he speaks, and speaks to thee,
May he help thee to believe!
Then thou presently wilt see,
Thou hast little cause to grieve.
"Fear thou not, nor be ashamed,
All thy sorrows soon shall end
I who heav'n and earth have framed,
Am thy husband and thy friend
I the High and Holy One,
Israel's God by all adored;
As thy Savior will be known,
Thy Redeemer and thy Lord.
For a moment I withdrew,
And thy heart was filled with pain;
But my mercies I'll renew,
Thou shalt soon rejoice again:
Though I scorn to hide my face,
Very soon my wrath shall cease;
'Tis but for a moment's space,
Ending in eternal peace.
When my peaceful bow appears
Painted on the wat'ry cloud;
'Tis to dissipate thy fears,
Lest the earth should be o'erflowed:
'Tis an emblem too of grace,
Of my cov'nant love a sign;
Though the mountains leave their place,
Thou shalt be for ever mine.
Though afflicted, tempest-tossed,
Comfortless awhile thou art,
Do not think thou canst be lost,
Thou art graven on my heart
All thy walls I will repair,
Thou shalt be rebuilt anew;
And in thee it shall appear,
What a God of love can do.
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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book I, hymn 63, “To the afflicted, tossed with tempests and not comforted. Isa 44:5-11”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MARTYN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1834): Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined)
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
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, Other Ground Can No Man Lay, 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 Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart
What is the doh of Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart?
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 Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Simeon B. Marsh died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 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.