Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye in Tonic Solfa
Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye in Tonic Solfa to SPANISH HYMN, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dSa---dviour,t,cast-da- | l,pity--ding-s,eye,--- |
| mBid-dmy-fsins-rand- | dsor--t,rows-dend;--- |
| mWhith---merrshould-ma- | fsin--mner-rfly?--- |
| mArt--mnotrthou-mthe- | fsin--mner's-rfriend?--- |
| dRest--dint,thee-dI- | l,gasp-dto-s,find,--- |
| mWret--dched-fI,-rand- | dpoor,-t,and-dblind.--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- SPANISH HYMN
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Spanish Traditional, Benjamin Carr, David Evans
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Saviour, cast a pitying eye,
Bid my sins and sorrows end;
Whither should a sinner fly?
Art not thou the sinner's friend?
Rest in thee I gasp to find,
Wretched I, and poor, and blind.
Haste, O haste, to my relief!
From the iron furnace take;
Bid me of my sin and grief,
For thy love and mercy's sake;
Set my heart at liberty,
Show forth all thy power in me.
Me, the vilest of the race,
Most unholy, most unclean;
Me, the farthest from thy face,
Full of misery and sin;
Me with arms of love receive,
Me, of sinners chief, forgive!
Jesus, on thine only name
For salvation I depend,
In thy gracious hands I am,
Save me, save me to the end;
Let the utmost grace be given,
Save me quite from hell to heaven.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 d (A♭).
- 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
Charles Wesley wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 116.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to SPANISH HYMN; any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Melody: Spanish Traditional
- Arranged (1822): Benjamin Carr (died undefined)
- Harmony (1927): David Evans (1874–1948)
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: God of Mercy, God of Grace, In the Morning Sow Thy Seed, Lay Her Gently in the Dust, Lead Us with Thy Gentle Sway, O Disclose Thy Lovely Face, Saviour, Prince of Israel's Race, To the Father's Love We Trust, What Our Father Does Is Well, When Arise the Thoughts of Sin, When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams.
Questions about Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye
What is the doh of Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Benjamin Carr died in undefined, David Evans died in 1948; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1822. 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.