Servants of Christ, Arise in Tonic Solfa
Servants of Christ, Arise in Tonic Solfa to ST. BRIDE, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| l,Ser-- | m,vants-l,of-dChrist,-t,a-- | l,rise,-----dAnd- |
| s,gird-dyou-mfor-rthe- | dtoil;-----mThe- |
| rdew-dof-t,pro--l,mise- | s,from-f,the-m,skies-mAl-- |
| l,rea--rdy-dcheers-t,the- | l,soil.----- |
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- Key
- G minor
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- l, (G)
- Range
- m, to m (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. BRIDE
- Words
- Lydia Sigourney
- Music
- Samuel Howard
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Lydia Sigourney (1791–1865). 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 G minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Servants of Christ, arise,
And gird you for the toil;
The dew of promise from the skies
Already cheers the soil.
Go where the sick recline,
Where mourning hearts deplore;
And where the sons of sorrow pine,
Dispense your hallowed lore.
Urge, with a tender zeal,
The erring child along,
Where peaceful congregations kneel,
And pious teachers throng.
Be faith, which looks above,
With prayer, your constant guest,
And wrap the Saviour's changeless love
A mantle round your breast.
So shall you share the wealth,
That earth may ne'er despoil,
And the blest gospel's saving health
Repay your arduous toil.
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 l, (G), on the first syllable of “Servants”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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
Lydia Sigourney wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 356 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “Active Piety”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Short Metre (6.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. BRIDE; any other Short Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Lydia Sigourney (1791–1865)
- Music (1762): Samuel Howard (died undefined)
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Lydia Sigourney (1791–1865).
Sung to the same tune: All Hail, Life-bearing Cross, Behold What Wondrous Grace, Exalt the Lord Our God, Here, in This Place of Prayer, How Blest the Righteous Are, In Weariness and Pain, Let God the Maker's Name, Let Party Names No More, Let Sinners Take Their Course, Lord What a Feeble Piece, My Saviour and My King, My Soul, Repeat His Praise, Not with Our Mortal Eyes, Now Let Our Voices Join, O Blessed Souls Are They, O Lord, Our Heavenly King, One Sweetly Solemn Thought, Out of the Deep I Call, Raise Your Triumphant Songs, Teach Me, My God and King, The Man Is Ever Blest, The Saviour Gently Calls, The Spirit, in Our Hearts, Thy Love Hath Sweetened Me, We Love This Outward World, When Man Grows Bold in Sin, Where Shall the Man Be Found, Who Has Believ'd Thy Word, Ye Servants of the Lord.
Questions about Servants of Christ, Arise
What is the doh of Servants of Christ, Arise?
In this version, in G minor, 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 Servants of Christ, Arise start on?
It starts on l, (G in G minor), a pickup on the first syllable of “Servants” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to l,.
Is Servants of Christ, Arise in the public domain?
Yes. Lydia Sigourney died in 1865, Samuel Howard died in undefined; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1762. 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.