Tell Me the Old, Old Story in Tonic Solfa
Tell Me the Old, Old Story in Tonic Solfa to EVANGEL (DOANE): the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mTell-mme-,fthesold,-sold- | lsto----sry,-sOf- |
| d'un--d'seen-d'things-ma--,fe_ | sbove-----sOf- |
| d'Je--d'sus-d'andt_lhiss_ | lglo--t_-d'ry,-lOf- |
| sJe--fsusm_rand-shisf_ | mlove.------- |
| rTell-,d_rme-,mthefsto--fry- | msim--,fplys_---sAs- |
| fetos_lat_d'lit--fetle- | schild,-----sFor- |
| d'I-d'am-d'weakt_lands_ | lwea--t_-d'ry,-lAnd- |
| shelp--flessm_rand-sde-f_ | mfiled.------- |
| mTell-mme-,fthesold,-sold- | lsto----sry,--- |
| tTell-tme-,d'ther'old,-r'old- | r'sto----d'ry--- |
| m'Tell-m'me-,r'thed'old,-d'old- | d'sto----lry,-lOf- |
| sJe--d'sus-tandd'_r'his- | d'love.------- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (E)
- Range
- d to m' (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- EVANGEL (DOANE)
- Words
- Katherine Hankey
- Music
- William H. Doane
Tune EVANGEL (DOANE) by William H. Doane (1832–1915); words by Katherine Hankey (1834–1911). 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Tell me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
Refrain
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in—
That wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often,
For I forget too soon,
The ‘early dew’ of morning
Has passed away at noon.
Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones, and grave;
Remember! I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save;
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A Comforter to me.
Tell me the same old story,
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world’s glory
Is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story:
‘Christ Jesus makes thee whole.’
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (E).
- 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
Katherine Hankey wrote the poem The Old, Old Story in 1866; these words are taken from it. The tune, EVANGEL (DOANE), is by William H. Doane (1870).
- Words (1866): Katherine Hankey (1834–1911)
- Music (1870): William H. Doane (1832–1915)
Tune EVANGEL (DOANE) by William H. Doane (1832–1915); words by Katherine Hankey (1834–1911).
Questions about Tell Me the Old, Old Story
What is the doh of Tell Me the Old, Old Story?
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Tell Me the Old, Old Story start on?
It starts on m (E in C major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Tell Me the Old, Old Story in the public domain?
Yes. Katherine Hankey died in 1911, William H. Doane died in 1915; the words were first published in 1866 and the music in 1870. 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.