Shall We Gather at the River? in Tonic Solfa
Shall We Gather at the River? in Tonic Solfa to HANSON PLACE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mShall-mwe-mgath--,rermat-,fthe | sriv----mer,--- |
| fWhere-fbright-fan--,sgelffeet-,mhave | rtrod---s_--- |
| mWith-mits-mcrys--,rtalmtide-,ffor- | sev----mer-mFlow-fing |
| rby-rthem_fthrone-mofr_ | dGod?------- |
| lYes,-lwe’ll-d'gath--,terd'at-,lthe | sriv----mer,--mThe |
| fbeau--,mti-fful,-,mthefbeau--,mti-ffulr_ | mriv----ser;--- |
| lGath--,lerlwith-,lthed'saints-,t_d'at-,lthe | sriv----mer-mThat- |
| rflows-rby-,mthefthrone-mofr_ | dGod.------- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- HANSON PLACE
- Words
- Robert Lowry
- Music
- Robert Lowry
Tune HANSON PLACE by Robert Lowry (1826–1899); words by Robert Lowry (1826–1899). 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
Refrain
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will talk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day.
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.
At the smiling of the river,
Mirror of the Savior’s face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace.
Soon we’ll reach the silver river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (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
Robert Lowry wrote the words, first published in 1864. The tune, HANSON PLACE, is by Robert Lowry (1864).
- Words (1864): Robert Lowry (1826–1899)
- Music (1864): Robert Lowry (1826–1899)
Tune HANSON PLACE by Robert Lowry (1826–1899); words by Robert Lowry (1826–1899).
Questions about Shall We Gather at the River?
What is the doh of Shall We Gather at the River??
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Shall We Gather at the River? start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Shall We Gather at the River? in the public domain?
Yes. Robert Lowry died in 1899, Robert Lowry died in 1899; the words were first published in 1864 and the music in 1864. 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.