The Aged Sufferer Waited Long in Tonic Solfa

The Aged Sufferer Waited Long in Tonic Solfa to ALL SAINTS, NEW, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is Bb4/4

sThe-

maged--fsuf-sfer--d'er-

d'wait---tedtlong-d'Up--

r'on-m'Be--f'thes--m'da's-

r'brink;-----r'Till-

m'hopes,--r'onced'ris--ting-

twarm--landlstrong,-lBe--

sgan-d'in-tfears--d'to

d'sink;-----d'And-

d'hea--d'vy-twere-tthe-

lsighs--lheldrew,-lAnd-

sfer--svent-swas-shis-

sprayer,-----fFor-

mhe,--fwithssafe--d'ty-

d'full--tintview,-d'Still-

m'lan--r'guished-d'help--tless-

d'there.-----

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Key: Bb major
Doh: Bb
Time: 4/4
Starts on: s (F)
Range: m to f' (D to E♭, a ninth)
Tune: ALL SAINTS, NEW
Words: Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch
Music: Henry Stephen Cutler

Tune ALL SAINTS, NEW by Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902); words by Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch (1809–1870). 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 Bb · 4/4

| s - The| m - - f s - d' - aged sufferer| d' - - t t - d' - |waited long Up-

| r' - m' - f' - m' - on Bethesda's| r' - - - - - r' - |brink; Till

| m' - - r' d' - t - hopes, once rising| t - - l l - l - |warm and strong, Be-

| s - d' - t - - d' gan in fears to| d' - - - - - d' - |sink; And

| d' - d' - t - t - heavy were the| l - - l l - l - |sighs he drew, And

| s - s - s - s - fervent was his| s - - - - - f - |prayer, For

| m - - f s - d' - he, with safety| d' - - t t - d' - |full in view, Still

| m' - r' - d' - t - languished helpless| d' - - - - - |there.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in Bb major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

The aged sufferer waited long
Upon Bethesda's brink;
Till hopes, once rising warm and strong,
Began in fears to sink;
And heavy were the sighs he drew,
And fervent was his prayer,
For he, with safety full in view,
Still languished helpless there.

His hope grew dim; but one was nigh
Who saw the sufferer's grief;
That gentle voice, that pitying eye,
Gave promise of relief.
Each pang that human weakness knows
Obeyed that powerful word;
He spake, and lo! the sick arose,
Rejoicing in his Lord.

Father of Jesus, when oppressed
With grief and pain we lie,
And, longing for Thy heavenly rest,
Despair to look on high,
O, may the Saviour's words of peace
Within the wounded heart
Bid every doubt and suffering cease,
And strength and joy impart!

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 s (F), on the word “The”, 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. 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

Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 116, “The Pool of Bethesda”.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked Common Metre Double (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ALL SAINTS, NEW; any other Common Metre Double tune fits them as well.

Words: Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch (1809–1870)
Music (1872): Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902)

Tune ALL SAINTS, NEW by Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902); words by Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch (1809–1870).

Sung to the same tune: All Nature's Works His Praise Declare, Amid Surrounding Gloom and Waste, Father, When O'er Our Trembling Hearts, God of All Grace and Majesty, I Looked upon the Righteous Man, Jesus, My Master and My Lord, Lord, Soothe My Anxious, Troubled Soul, Now Gird Your Patient Loins Again, O Where Are Kings and Empires Now, O, Not Alone with Outward Sign, O, Who Shall See the Glorious Day, Oh! Not Alone with Outward Sign, Our Pathway Oft Is Wet with Tears, Thy Servants in the Temple Watched, When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing.

Questions about The Aged Sufferer Waited Long

What is the doh of The Aged Sufferer Waited Long?

In this version, in Bb major, doh is Bb. 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 The Aged Sufferer Waited Long start on?

It starts on s (F in Bb major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.

Is The Aged Sufferer Waited Long in the public domain?

Yes. Stephen Greenleaf Bulfinch died in 1870, Henry Stephen Cutler died in 1902; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1872. 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.