Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling in Tonic Solfa
Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling in Tonic Solfa to THOMPSON: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mSoft--,rlydanddten-t,der-dly | rJe-dsusl,isl,call-s,ing,- | dCall-dingdformyou-,randdfor | rme;----- |
| mSee,-,rondthedpor-t,talsdHe’s | rwait-dingl,andl,watch-s,ing,- | dWatch-dingfformyou-,dandrfor | dme.----s,Come |
| rhome----m_ | dcome-rhomem_-- | rYourwhoraremwea-,mry,-fecome | shome-sa_f_-- |
| mEar--,rnest-dly,dten-t,der-dly, | rJe-dsusl,isl,call-s,ing,- | dCall-,ding,-fOmsin-,dner,-rcome | dhome!----- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- m (C)
- Range
- s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- THOMPSON
- Words
- Will L. Thompson
Tune THOMPSON by Will Lamartine Thompson (1847–1909); words by Will L. Thompson (1847–1909). 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 · 6/8
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
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Refrain
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.
Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
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 m (C).
- Count the time. 6/8 means two dotted-crotchet beats (six quavers) 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 and the chromatic fe sa. 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
Will L. Thompson wrote both the words and the tune; the song was published in 1880.
- Words (1880): Will L. Thompson (1847–1909)
- Music (1880): Will Lamartine Thompson (1847–1909)
Tune THOMPSON by Will Lamartine Thompson (1847–1909); words by Will L. Thompson (1847–1909).
Questions about Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
What is the doh of Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling?
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 Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling start on?
It starts on m (C in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling in the public domain?
Yes. Will L. Thompson died in 1909, Will Lamartine Thompson died in 1909; the words were first published in 1880 and the music in 1880. 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.