Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace in Tonic Solfa
Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace in Tonic Solfa to PENITENTIA, doh is Eb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mRest---min-fthe- | sLord,---dO--- |
| rser---rvantmby-fHis- | mgrace,------- |
| mDwell---rin-dHis- | lcourts,---sand--- |
| sgaze--sup-fon-mHis- | rface,------- |
| mKnow---mnought-fof- | stoil,---dof--- |
| lwea---lri-lness,-mor- | fwoe,------- |
| fThey---mrest-rwho- | sserve,-dnot-dwea--fry,- |
| mas---rbe---- | dlow.------- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to l (E♭ to C, a sixth)
- Tune
- PENITENTIA
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Edward Dearle
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 Eb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Rest in the Lord, O servant by His grace,
Dwell in His courts, and gaze upon His face,
Know nought of toil, of weariness, or woe,
They rest who serve, not weary, as below.
Rest in the Lord, the strife of war is past,
Wear now the wreath of victory at last;
E'en death is slain, — the cross of Christ sufficed,
Death is not death, to those who live in Christ.
Rest in the Lord, the goal of life is won,
To thee 'tis given to hear the glad "Well done";
Great their reward, who, till their Lord appear,
Serve in the vineyard of the Master, here.
Rest in the Lord; none can His honour claim,
They honour have, who honour most His name;
Thine this reward who counted gain but loss,
Nor felt it shame to glory in the cross.
Rest in the Lord; swift comes the happy time,
When we who strive shall reach Thy fairer clime;
Christ, give us welcome when the toil is past,
And bring us to the bliss of heaven, at last.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 m (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. 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 Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Morningland (Paisley, 1911), headed “Burial of a priest”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Tens (10.10.10.10), and this page sets them to PENITENTIA; any other Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1880): Edward Dearle (1806–1891)
Tune PENITENTIA by Edward Dearle (1806–1891); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Father! I Wait Thy Word. the Sun Doth Stand, Glory to God! the Christ Hath Left the Tomb, Hail, Full of Grace, Virgin Theotokos, Now with My Weeping Would I Cleanse My Soul, Thou That Art Strong to Comfort, Look on Me, Wake to the Songs That Lips Unsullied Sing.
Questions about Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace
What is the doh of Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Rest in the Lord, O Servant by His Grace in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Edward Dearle died in 1891; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1880. 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.