Pleasing Spring Again Is Here in Tonic Solfa
Pleasing Spring Again Is Here in Tonic Solfa to WATCHMAN, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dPleas----ring-mspring---ra-- | mgain---fis-shere!----- |
| sTrees---mand-sfields---lin- | sbloom---map--rpear;----- |
| dHark!---rthe-mbirds,---rwith- | mart----fless-slays,----- |
| d'War----lble-stheir---rCre-- | ma----rtor's-dpraise!----- |
| sWhere,---min-d'win----lter,- | sall---mwas-d'snow,----- |
| sNow---mthe-d'flow'rs---lin- | tclus----lters-sgrow;----- |
| mAnd---rthe-dcorn,---rin- | mgreen---far--sray,----- |
| d'Prom----lis--ses---ra- | mhar----rvest-dday.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- WATCHMAN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); 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 D · 6/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Pleasing spring again is here!
Trees and fields in bloom appear;
Hark! the birds, with artless lays,
Warble their Creator's praise!
Where, in winter, all was snow,
Now the flow'rs in clusters grow;
And the corn, in green array,
Promises a harvest-day.
What a change has taken place!
Emblem of the spring of grace;
How the soul, in winter, mourns
Till the Lord, the Sun, returns;
Till the Spirit's gentle rain,
Bids the heart revive again;
Then the stone is turned to flesh,
And each grace springs forth afresh.
Lord, afford a spring to me!
Let me feel like what I see;
Ah! my winter has been long,
Chilled my hopes, and stopped my song!
Winter threatened to destroy
Faith, and love, and every joy;
If thy life was in the root,
Still I could not yield thee fruit.
Speak, and by thy gracious voice
Make my drooping soul rejoice;
O beloved Savior, haste,
Tell me all the storms are past:
On thy garden deign to smile,
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon thy presence will restore
Life, to what seemed dead before.
Lord, I long to be at home,
Where these changes never come!
Where the saints no winter fear,
Where 'tis spring throughout the year:
How unlike this state below!
There the flow'rs unwith'ring blow,
There no chilling blasts annoy,
All is love, and bloom, and joy.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D).
- 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 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
John Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book II, hymn 33, “Spring”.
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 WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Darkness Overspreads Us Here, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear, Father! Thy Paternal Care, Gracious Lord, Our Children See, Guide Us, Lord! While, Hand in Hand, Mary to Her Savior's Tomb, Meet and Right It Is to Praise, O My God, What Must I Do, Time, by Moments, Steals Away, While with Ceaseless Course the Sun.
Questions about Pleasing Spring Again Is Here
What is the doh of Pleasing Spring Again Is Here?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Pleasing Spring Again Is Here start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Pleasing Spring Again Is Here in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1830. 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.