'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said in Tonic Solfa
'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 6 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- l, to f (E to C, a sixth)
- Tune
- NUN LASST UNS DEN LEIB BEGRABEN
- Words
- Charles William Everest
- Music
- George Rhau
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune NUN LASST UNS DEN LEIB BEGRABEN by George Rhau (1488–1548); words by Charles William Everest (1814–1877). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| d"Take---rup-dthy- | t,cross,"-dthe-rSa--mvior- |
| dsaid,-----d"If- | rthou-mwouldst-fMy-mdis-- |
| dci--rple-mbe;--- | dDe----rny-rthy-- |
| mself,-rthe-dworld-t,for-- | l,sake,-----rAnd- |
| mhum--rbly-dfol--l,low- | daf--rter-dMe."--- |
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
"Take up thy cross," the Savior said,
"If thou wouldst My disciple be;
Deny thyself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after Me."
Take up thy cross, let not its weight
Fill thy weak spirit with alarm;
His strength shall bear thy spirit up,
And brace thy heart and nerve thine arm.
Take up thy cross, nor heed the shame,
Nor let thy foolish pride rebel;
Thy Lord for thee the cross endured,
And saved thy soul from death and hell.
Take up thy cross then in His strength,
And calmly sin's wild deluge brave,
'Twill guide thee to a better home,
It points to glory o'er the grave.
Take up thy cross and follow Christ,
Nor think til death to lay it down;
For only those who bear the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.
D To Thee, great Lord, the One in Three,
All praise forevermore ascend:
O grant us in our home to see
The heavenly life that knows no end.
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 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
The words are by Charles William Everest, first published in 1833. The tune, NUN LASST UNS DEN LEIB BEGRABEN, is by George Rhau (1544). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1833): Charles William Everest (1814–1877)
- Music (1544): George Rhau (1488–1548)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune NUN LASST UNS DEN LEIB BEGRABEN by George Rhau (1488–1548); words by Charles William Everest (1814–1877). 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 'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said
What is the doh of 'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said?
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 'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is 'Take Up Thy Cross', the Savior Said in the public domain?
Yes. Charles William Everest died in 1877, George Rhau died in 1548; the words were first published in 1833 and the music in 1544. 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.