Rescue the Perishing in Tonic Solfa
Rescue the Perishing in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Bb major
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (F)
- Range
- m to m' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- RESCUE THE PERISHING
- Words
- Fanny Jane Crosby
- Music
- William Howard Doane
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune RESCUE THE PERISHING by William Howard Doane (1832–1915); words by Fanny Jane Crosby (1820–1915). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| sRes--mcuefthesper-sish-sing,- | d'care-tforltheldy--sing,- |
| sSnatch-lthemtind'pi--r'tym'from | r'sin-d'andlthesgrave;-__ |
| sWeep-mo'erftheserr-singsone,- | d'lift-tuplthelfall--sen,- |
| sTell-lthemtofd'Je--r'sus,m'the | r'might--d'yttod'save.--- |
| r'Res--d'cuer'them'per--,r'ish-d'ing,- | r'care-d'forr'them'dy--d'ing,- |
| d'Je--tsuslissmer-d'ci-m'ful,- | r'Je--d'sustwilld'save.--- |
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 Bb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Bb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing,
Refrain
care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive they should only believe.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand'rer a Savior has died.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 s (F).
- 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
The words are by Fanny Jane Crosby, first published in 1869. The tune, RESCUE THE PERISHING, is by William Howard Doane (1870). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1869): Fanny Jane Crosby (1820–1915)
- Music (1870): William Howard Doane (1832–1915)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune RESCUE THE PERISHING by William Howard Doane (1832–1915); words by Fanny Jane Crosby (1820–1915). 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 Rescue the Perishing
What is the doh of Rescue the Perishing?
In this version, in Bb major, doh is Bb. 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 Rescue the Perishing start on?
It starts on s (F in Bb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Rescue the Perishing in the public domain?
Yes. Fanny Jane Crosby died in 1915, William Howard Doane died in 1915; the words were first published in 1869 and the music in 1870. 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.