Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand in Tonic Solfa
Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand in Tonic Solfa to ALFORD: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the three verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mTen- | fthou---fsanddtimes-rten- | mthou--dsand---mIn- |
| sspark--mling-drai--rment- | dbright,-----mThe- |
| rar---rmiessof-rthe- | feran--msomed-rsaints-dThrong- |
| t,up--s,thedsteeps-fe,of- | s,light:-----s,’Tis- |
| rfin---rished,dall-ris- | mfin--mished,---mTheir- |
| ffight-rwith-mdeath-randd_ | rsin:-----s,Fling- |
| l,o--s,pen-dwide-dthe- | rgold---menfgates,-rAnd- |
| dlet--s,themvic--rtors- | din.----- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (C)
- Range
- fe, to s (E𝄫 to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- ALFORD
- Words
- Henry Alford
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune ALFORD by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Henry Alford (1810–1871). 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
Ten thousand times ten thousand
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints
Throng up the steeps of light:
’Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with death and sin:
Fling open wide the golden gates,
And let the victors in.
What rush of alleluias
Fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps
Bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation
And all its tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes
A thousandfold repaid!
O then what raptured greetings
On Canaan’s happy shore!
What knitting severed friendships up,
Where partings are no more!
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle,
That brimmed with tears of late,
Orphans no longer fatherless,
Nor widows desolate.
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 m (C), on the word “Ten”, 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.
- 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
Henry Alford’s words first appeared in 1867. John Bacchus Dykes wrote the tune ALFORD in 1875.
- Words (1867): Henry Alford (1810–1871)
- Music (1875): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune ALFORD by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Henry Alford (1810–1871).
Questions about Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand
What is the doh of Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand?
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 Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand start on?
It starts on m (C in Ab major), a pickup on the word “Ten” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand in the public domain?
Yes. Henry Alford died in 1871, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were first published in 1867 and the music in 1875. 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.