"Remember Thy Creator" in Tonic Solfa
"Remember Thy Creator" in Tonic Solfa to EWING, doh is C: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 1 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| d"Re-- | rmem--dber-fthy-mCre-- | ra----dtor"-mWhile- |
| syouth's-d'fair-tspring-seis- | lbright,-----lBe-- |
| sfore-mthy-mcares-rare- | dgreat----rer,-mBe-- |
| mfore-mcomes-ra--dge's- | rnight;-----rWhile- |
| fyet-mthe-lsun-tshines- | d'o'er---r'thee,-sWhile- |
| m'stars--m'ther'dark--d'ness- | tcheer,-----lWhile- |
| slife-mis-mall-rbe-- | dfore---rthee,-mThy- |
| mgreat-mCre--ra---dtor | dfear.----- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (C)
- Range
- d to m' (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- EWING
- Words
- Samuel Francis Smith
- Music
- Alexander C. Ewing
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune EWING by Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895); words by Samuel Francis Smith (1808–1895). 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
"Remember thy Creator"
While youth's fair spring is bright,
Before thy cares are greater,
Before comes age's night;
While yet the sun shines o'er thee,
While stars the darkness cheer,
While life is all before thee,
Thy great Creator fear.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (C), on the first syllable of “"Remember”, 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 t and the chromatic se. 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
Samuel Francis Smith wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 740 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “"Remember thy Creator."”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens and Sixes Double (7.6.7.6.7.6.7.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to EWING; any other Sevens and Sixes Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Samuel Francis Smith (1808–1895)
- Music (1853): Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895)
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune EWING by Alexander C. Ewing (1830–1895); words by Samuel Francis Smith (1808–1895). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Sung to the same tune: Hail to the Lord's Anointed, Jerusalem the Golden, Let Me Be Thine Forever, O Living Bread from Heaven, O Word of God Incarnate, Our Father — Ever Living, The Joy of Earth Is Fleeting.
Questions about "Remember Thy Creator"
What is the doh of "Remember Thy Creator"?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 "Remember Thy Creator" start on?
It starts on d (C in C major), a pickup on the first syllable of “"Remember” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is "Remember Thy Creator" in the public domain?
Yes. Samuel Francis Smith died in 1895, Alexander C. Ewing died in 1895; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1853. 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.