Hymn · Tonic Solfa
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow (Doxology) in Tonic Solfa
The Doxology, Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, in Tonic Solfa (doh is G) to OLD HUNDREDTH: solfa with the words, staff and a sing-along piano.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- OLD HUNDREDTH
- Words
- Thomas Ken
- Music
- Louis Bourgeois
The solfa with the words
| dPraise---dGod,-t,from- | l,whom-s,all-dbless--rings- |
| mflow;---mPraise--- | mHim,-mall-rcrea--dtures- |
| fhere-mbe--rlow;--- | dPraise---rHim-ma-- |
| rbove,-dye-l,heav’n--t,ly- | dhost;---sPraise--- |
| mFa--dther,-rSon,-fand- | mHo--rly-dGhost.--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is G · 4/4
| d - - - d - t, - | l, - s, - d - r - |Praise God, from whom all blessings| m - - - m - - - | m - m - r - d - |flow; Praise Him, all creatures| f - m - r - - - | d - - - r - m - |here below; Praise Him a| r - d - l, - t, - | d - - - s - - - |bove, ye heav’nly host; Praise| m - d - r - f - | m - r - d - - - |Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.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
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
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 d (G).
- 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
Thomas Ken, an English bishop, wrote these four lines as the closing verse of his morning and evening hymns. Sung on their own they became the Doxology that many churches sing every Sunday, usually to OLD HUNDREDTH — the melody Louis Bourgeois set to Psalm 134 in the Genevan Psalter of 1551.
Every line of the tune starts and ends on a long note, and it moves mostly by step, so it is a good first hymn for a choir learning to sing from solfa.
- Words (1709 form): Thomas Ken (1637–1711)
- Melody, Genevan Psalter (1551): Louis Bourgeois (1510–1560)
Sung to the same tune: All People That on Earth Do Dwell, Be Present at Our Table, Lord.
Questions about The Doxology
What is the doh of The Doxology?
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 The Doxology start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is The Doxology in the public domain?
Yes. Thomas Ken died in 1711, Louis Bourgeois died in 1560; the words were first published in 1709 and the music in 1551. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.