Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us in Tonic Solfa
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 4 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (G)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- BRADBURY
- Words
- Dorothy Ann Thrupp
- Music
- William Batchelder Bradbury
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune BRADBURY by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Dorothy Ann Thrupp (1779–1847). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mSa--mvior,-mlikeramshep-fherd | slead-d'_-sus,-m_- |
| rmuch-mwe-fneedlThysten-fder | mcare;-----__ |
| mIn-mThy-mplea-rsantmpas-ftures | sfeed-d'_-sus,-m_- |
| rfor-mour-fuselThysfoldsfpre- | mpare.-----sBless-sèd |
| lJe--d'sus,---tbless-lèd | sJe--msus!---mThoumhast |
| rbought-lus,-sThine-fwe- | mare.-----sBless-sèd |
| lJe--d'sus,---tbless-lèd | sJe--d'sus!---dThourhast |
| mbought-sus,-fThine--rwe | dare.----- |
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 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
Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
for our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
We are Thine, Thou dost befriend us,
be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
seek us when we go astray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Thou hast promised to receive us,
poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
grace to cleanse and pow'r to free.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
We will early turn to Thee.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
We will early turn to Thee.
Early let us seek Thy favor,
early let us do Thy will;
Blessèd Lord and only Savior,
with Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus!
Thou hast loved us, love us still.
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 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 Dorothy Ann Thrupp, first published in 1836. The tune, BRADBURY, is by William Batchelder Bradbury (1859). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1836): Dorothy Ann Thrupp (1779–1847)
- Music (1859): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune BRADBURY by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Dorothy Ann Thrupp (1779–1847). 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 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
What is the doh of Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us?
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 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us start on?
It starts on m (G in Eb major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us in the public domain?
Yes. Dorothy Ann Thrupp died in 1847, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were first published in 1836 and the music in 1859. 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.