Take Time to Be Holy in Tonic Solfa
Take Time to Be Holy in Tonic Solfa to HOLINESS: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mTake--mtimertombe | fho---mly,-- | dspeak--roftdwitht,thy | dLord;----- |
| mA---mbiderinmHim | fal---mways,-- | rand--rfeedronrHis | rWord.----- |
| fMake--ffriendsmofrGod’s | mchil---sdren,-- | fhelp--fthosemwhorare | mweak,----- |
| sFor---sget-ftingmin | lnoth---fing-- | mHis--rbless-dingt,to | dseek.----- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- t, to l (E to D, a seventh)
- Tune
- HOLINESS
- Words
- William D. Longstaff
- Music
- George C. Stebbins
Tune HOLINESS by George C. Stebbins (1846–1945); words by William D. Longstaff (1822–1894). 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 F · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- 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.
- 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 D. Longstaff wrote the words about 1882. George C. Stebbins wrote the tune HOLINESS in 1890.
- Words (1882): William D. Longstaff (1822–1894)
- Music (1890): George C. Stebbins (1846–1945)
Tune HOLINESS by George C. Stebbins (1846–1945); words by William D. Longstaff (1822–1894).
Questions about Take Time to Be Holy
What is the doh of Take Time to Be Holy?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Take Time to Be Holy start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Take Time to Be Holy in the public domain?
Yes. William D. Longstaff died in 1894, George C. Stebbins died in 1945; the words were first published in 1882 and the music in 1890. 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.