Sunshine in My Soul in Tonic Solfa
Sunshine in My Soul in Tonic Solfa to SUNSHINE: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the 4 verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dThere-,ris | msun--s,shine-l,in-,t,mydsoul-,rto- | mday,-----mMore-,f_ |
| mglo--rri--s,ous-rand- | dbright-----dThan-,r_ |
| mglows-s,in-l,an--,t,ydearth--,rly | msky,-----mFor- |
| rJe---rsusmis-femy- | slight.-----sOh,-,fthere’s |
| msun----dshine,-rbless-,d_l,ed | s,sun----m,shine,-m,When-,f,the |
| s,peace--dful,-mhap--,spyfmo--,mments | rroll;-----sWhen-,f_ |
| mJe--msus-fshows--mHis | msmil-r_dingl,_s,face,-dThereris |
| msun-mshine--rin-rmy- | dsoul.----- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- m, to s (C to E♭, a tenth)
- Tune
- SUNSHINE
- Words
- Eliza Edmunds Hewitt
- Music
- John R. Sweney
Tune SUNSHINE by John R. Sweney (1837–1899); words by Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (1851–1920). 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 · 4/4
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
There is sunshine in my soul today,
More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my light.
Refrain
Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in my soul.
There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King;
And Jesus, listening, can hear
The songs I cannot sing.
There is springtime in my soul today,
For, when the Lord is near,
The dove of peace sings in my heart,
The flow’rs of grace appear.
There is gladness in my soul today,
And hope and praise and love,
For blessings which He gives me now,
For joys laid up above.
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 d (A♭), on the word “There”, 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. 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. 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
Eliza E. Hewitt wrote the words, and John R. Sweney the tune SUNSHINE; both were first published in Glad Hallelujahs (Philadelphia, 1887), edited by William J. Kirkpatrick and Sweney.
- Words (1887): Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (1851–1920)
- Music (1887): John R. Sweney (1837–1899)
Questions about Sunshine in My Soul
What is the doh of Sunshine in My Soul?
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 Sunshine in My Soul start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major), a pickup on the word “There” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Sunshine in My Soul in the public domain?
Yes. Eliza Edmunds Hewitt died in 1920, John R. Sweney died in 1899; the words were first published in 1887 and the music in 1887. 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.