Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng in Tonic Solfa
Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 9 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- l, to l (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- MARION
- Words
- Edward Hayes Plumptre
- Music
- Arthur Henry Messiter
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune MARION by Arthur Henry Messiter (1834–1916); words by Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821–1891). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dRe-- | sjoice,-mOr_dpil--rgrim- | mthrong!-----mRe-- |
| mjoice,-dgiver_mthanks,-feand- | ssing;-----sYour- |
| lfest--salf_mban--mner- | mwaver_donr_mhigh,-l,The- |
| rcross-mof-fChrist-myour- | rKing.-----sRe-- |
| sjoice,-----sre-- | sjoice,-----sre-- |
| fjoice,-mGiver_mthanks-rand- | dsing.----- |
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 F · 4/4
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
Rejoice, O pilgrim throng!
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your festal banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King.
Refrain
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, Give thanks and sing.
With all the angel choirs,
With all the saints on earth,
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
True rapture, noblest mirth.
With voice as full and strong
As ocean's surging praise,
Send forth the hymns our fathers loved,
The psalms of ancient days.
Still lift your standard high,
Still march in firm array,
As warriors through the darkness toil,
Till dawns the golden day.
Yes, on through life's long path,
Still chanting as ye go;
From youth to age, by night and day,
In gladness and in woe.
Yes onward, onward still With hymn, and chant and song,
Through gate, and porch and columned aisle, The hallowed pathways throng.
At last the march shall end; The wearied ones shall rest;
The pilgrims find their Father's house, Jerusalem the bless'd.
Then on, ye pure in heart! Rejoice, give thanks and sing!
Your festal banner wave on high, The cross of Christ your King.
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 d (F), on the first syllable of “Rejoice”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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 and the chromatic fe. 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
The words are by Edward Hayes Plumptre, first published in 1865. The tune, MARION, is by Arthur Henry Messiter (1883). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1865): Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821–1891)
- Music (1883): Arthur Henry Messiter (1834–1916)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune MARION by Arthur Henry Messiter (1834–1916); words by Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821–1891). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng
What is the doh of Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng?
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 Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng start on?
It starts on d (F in F major), a pickup on the first syllable of “Rejoice” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng in the public domain?
Yes. Edward Hayes Plumptre died in 1891, Arthur Henry Messiter died in 1916; the words were first published in 1865 and the music in 1883. 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.