Saved by Blood I Live to Tell in Tonic Solfa
Saved by Blood I Live to Tell in Tonic Solfa to MARTYN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mSaved---mby-mblood---dI- | rlive---rto-rtell,----- |
| mWhat---mthe-slove---fof- | mChrist-----rhath----- |
| ddone;----------- | mHe---mre--mdeemed---dmy- |
| rsoul---rfrom-rhell,----- | mOf---ma-sre----fbel- |
| mmade-----ra----- | dson:----------- |
| sO,---sI-strem----sble- | lstill,-----lto----- |
| sthink----------- | sHow---sse--scure---sI- |
| llived-----lin----- | ssin;----------- |
| mSport----ming-mon---dde-- | rstruc----rtion's-rbrink,----- |
| mYet---mpre--sserved---ffrom- | mfall------ring----- |
| din.----------- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- d to l (F to D, a sixth)
- Tune
- MARTYN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Simeon B. Marsh
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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 F · 6/4
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
Saved by blood I live to tell,
What the love of Christ hath done;
He redeemed my soul from hell,
Of a rebel made a son:
O, I tremble still, to think
How secure I lived in sin;
Sporting on destruction's brink,
Yet preserved from falling in.
In his own appointed hour,
To my heart the Savior spoke,
Touched me by his Spirit's pow'r,
And my dang'rous slumber broke.
Then I saw and owned my guilt,
Soon my gracious Lord replied;
"Fear not, I my blood have spilt,
'Twas for such as thee I died."
Shame and wonder, joy and love,
All at once possessed my heart;
Can I hope thy grace to prove,
After acting such a part?
"Thou hast greatly sinned, he said,
But I freely all forgive;
I myself thy debt have paid,
Now I bid thee rise and live."
Come, my fellow-sinners, try,
Jesus' heart is full of love;
Oh that you, as well as I,
May his wondrous mercy prove!
He has sent me to declare,
All is ready, all is free;
Why should any soul despair,
When he saved a wretch like me?
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 m (A).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book III, hymn 54, “Hear what he has done for my soul!”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MARTYN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1834): Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined)
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Christ, by Heav’nly Hosts Adored, God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Light of Life, Seraphic Fire, Men! Whose Boast It Is That Ye, Omnipresent God! Whose Aid, Other Ground Can No Man Lay, Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart, See the Gloomy Gath'ring Cloud, See! Another Year Is Gone, Though the Morn May Be Serene, Time, with an Unwearied Hand.
Questions about Saved by Blood I Live to Tell
What is the doh of Saved by Blood I Live to Tell?
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 Saved by Blood I Live to Tell start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Saved by Blood I Live to Tell in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Simeon B. Marsh died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1834. 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.