Ring the Bells of Heaven in Tonic Solfa
Ring the Bells of Heaven in Tonic Solfa to RING THE BELLS: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,Ring-,s,thel,bells-,s,ofmheav--den!- | rThere-,disl,joy-,t,to-dday,--- |
| t,For-,darsoul,-,dre-mturn--,ringffrom-,t,the | dwild!------- |
| s,See,-,s,thel,Fa--,s,thermmeets-dhim- | rout-,dup-l,on-,t,thedway,--- |
| t,Wel--,dcom-ring-,dHismwea--,rry,fwan--,t,d’ring | dchild.------- |
| mGlo--mry!-sGlo--,fry!rHow-,t,the | dan--dgels-msing:--- |
| l,Glo--l,ry!-rGlo--,mry!rHow-,dthe | t,loud-l,harps-s,ring!--- |
| s,’Tis-,s,thel,ran--,s,somedmar--dmy,- | rlike-,dal,might--,t,ydsea,--- |
| t,Peal--,dingrforth-,dtheman--,rthemfof-,t,the | dfree.------- |
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- Key
- Bb major
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (F)
- Range
- s, to s (F to F, an octave)
- Tune
- RING THE BELLS
- Words
- William O. Cushing
- Music
- George F. Root
Tune RING THE BELLS by George F. Root (1820–1895); words by William O. Cushing (1823–1902). 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 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
Ring the bells of heaven!
There is joy today,
For a soul, returning from the wild!
See, the Father meets him out upon the way,
Welcoming His weary, wandering child.
Refrain
Glory! Glory! How the angels sing:
Glory! Glory! How the loud harps ring!
’Tis the ransomed army, like a mighty sea,
Pealing forth the anthem of the free.
Ring the bells of heaven!
There is joy today,
For the wanderer now is reconciled;
Yes, a soul is rescued from his sinful way,
And is born anew, a ransomed child.
Ring the bells of heaven!
Spread the feast today!
Angels, swell the glad triumphant strain!
Tell the joyful tidings, bear it far away!
For a precious soul is born again.
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
William O. Cushing wrote the words in 1870 to a melody by George F. Root.
- Words (1870): William O. Cushing (1823–1902)
- Music (1875): George F. Root (1820–1895)
Tune RING THE BELLS by George F. Root (1820–1895); words by William O. Cushing (1823–1902).
Questions about Ring the Bells of Heaven
What is the doh of Ring the Bells of Heaven?
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 Ring the Bells of Heaven start on?
It starts on s, (F in Bb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is Ring the Bells of Heaven in the public domain?
Yes. William O. Cushing died in 1902, George F. Root died in 1895; the words were first published in 1870 and the music in 1875. 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.