People of the Living God in Tonic Solfa
People of the Living God in Tonic Solfa to VIENNA, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mPeo--rple-dof-mthe- | sliv--fing-mGod,--- |
| l,I-t,have-dsought-rthe- | t,world-l,a--s,round,--- |
| dPaths-t,of-l,sin-dand- | fsor--mrow-rtrod,--- |
| sPeace-fand-mcom--rfort- | dno--t,where-dfound.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- VIENNA
- Words
- James Montgomery
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854). 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
People of the living God,
I have sought the world around,
Paths of sin and sorrow trod,
Peace and comfort nowhere found.
Now to you my spirit turns, —
Turns, a fugitive unblest;
Brethren, where your altar burns,
O, receive me into rest.
Lonely I no longer roam,
Like the cloud, the wind, the wave;
Where you dwell shall be my home,
Where you die shall be my grave.
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 m (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. 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
James Montgomery wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 660 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “Joined to God's People”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to VIENNA; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: James Montgomery (1771–1854)
- Music (1799): Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined)
Tune VIENNA by Justin Heinrich Knecht (died undefined); words by James Montgomery (1771–1854).
Sung to the same tune: Angels, Roll the Rock Away, Blessed State! and Happy He, Christians! Brethren! Ere We Part, Come the Rich and Come the Poor, Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare, Father, at Thy Footstool See, Father, in Thy Presence Now, God Made All His Creatures Free, Happy Soul, That Safe from Harm, In the Morning I Will Pray, In Themselves, as Weak as Worms, Jesus Comes with All His Grace, Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee, Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love, Lord of Mercy, at Thy Gate, Lord! That I May Learn of Thee, Morn of Beauty, Joyous Morn, Now May He Who from the Dead, Praise on Thee, in Zion's Gates, Sacred Day, Forever Blest, Saviour of the Sin-sick Soul, Sinner, Rouse Thee from Thy Sleep, Soldiers of the Cross, Arise, Son of God! Thy People's Shield, Thanks to God for Those Who Came, Unbelief the Soul Dismays, Waving in the Autumn Breeze, We Would Leave, O God, to Thee, When My Love to Christ Grows Weak, Wouldst Thou in Thy Lonely Hour.
Questions about People of the Living God
What is the doh of People of the Living God?
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 People of the Living God start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is People of the Living God in the public domain?
Yes. James Montgomery died in 1854, Justin Heinrich Knecht died in undefined; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1799. 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.