Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross in Tonic Solfa
Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross in Tonic Solfa to PLEYEL'S HYMN, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mSleep-snot,-rsol---mdier | fof-rthe-mcross!--- |
| mFoes-sare-rlurk---ming | fall-ra--dround;--- |
| rLook-mnot-dhere--rto | t,find-l,re--s,pose,--- |
| mThis-sis-rbut--mthy | fbat--rtle-dground.--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- PLEYEL'S HYMN
- Words
- William Gaskell
- Music
- Ignaz Joseph Pleyel
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by William Gaskell (1805–1884). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Sleep not, soldier of the cross!
Foes are lurking all around;
Look not here to find repose,
This is but thy battle-ground.
Up! and take thy shield and sword;
Up! it is the call of Heaven;
Shrink not faithless from thy Lord,
Nobly strive as he hath striven.
Break through all the force of ill;
Tread the might of passion down;
Struggle onward, upward still,
To the conquering Saviour's crown!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (B).
- 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
William Gaskell wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 314, “Sleep Not As Do Others”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to PLEYEL'S HYMN; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Gaskell (1805–1884)
- Arranged (1790): Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined)
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by William Gaskell (1805–1884).
Sung to the same tune: As the Sun's Enlivening Eye, Blest Instructor! from Thy Ways, Choice of God, Thou Blessed Day, Christ, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Come, Said Jesus' Sacred Voice, For a Season Called to Part, Heralds of Creation! Cry, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, I Will Praise Thee Every Day, Interval of Grateful Shade, Lift Aloud the Voice of Praise, Morning Breaks upon the Tomb, Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe, Prayer an Answer Will Obtain, Softly Now the Light of Day, Sweeter Founds Than Music Knows, Swell the Anthem, Raise the Song, Thus Said Jesus: — "Go and Do, When, My Saviour, Shall I Be.
Questions about Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross
What is the doh of Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross in the public domain?
Yes. William Gaskell died in 1884, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1790. 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.