Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter in Tonic Solfa
Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- IN BABILONE
- Words
- Frederick William Faber
- Music
- Traditional Dutch
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune IN BABILONE (traditional Dutch); words by Frederick William Faber (1814–1863). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dSouls-t,ofl,_s,men!-dwhy- | rwill-dyer_mscat--dter- |
| fLike-mar_mcrowd-rofd_ | t,fright-d_renedt,_dsheep?--- |
| dFool--t,ishl,_s,hearts!-dwhy- | rwill-dyer_mwan--dder- |
| fFrom-mar_mlove-rsod_ | t,trued_randt,_ddeep?--- |
| dWas-rtherem_fev--mer- | rkind--deer-rshep--rherd- |
| rHalf-msof_sgen--dtle,- | rhalf-dsot,_l,sweet,-s,_- |
| dAs-t,thel,_s,Sa--dvior- | rwho-dwouldr_mhave-dus- |
| fCome-mandr_mga--rtherd_ | t,roundd_rHist,_dfeet?--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
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
Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?
Was there ever kinder shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Savior who would have us
Come and gather round His feet?
It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mighti'r than it seems;
'Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.
There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth's sorrows
Are more felt than up in Heav'n;
There is no place where earth's failings
Have such wondrous judgment giv'n.
There is welcome for the sinner,
Grace poured out as in a flood
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of man's mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption
In Christ's blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.
Not just all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all;
Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.
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 d (G).
- 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 and the chromatic de. 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
The words are by Frederick William Faber, first published in 1862. The tune, IN BABILONE, is Traditional Dutch. This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1862): Frederick William Faber (1814–1863)
- Melody (1710): Traditional Dutch
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune IN BABILONE (traditional Dutch); words by Frederick William Faber (1814–1863). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter
What is the doh of Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter?
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 Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Souls of Men! Why Will Ye Scatter in the public domain?
Yes. Frederick William Faber died in 1863; the words were first published in 1862 and the music in 1710. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.