The Great Physician in Tonic Solfa
The Great Physician in Tonic Solfa to GREAT PHYSICIAN: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sThe | sgreat-mPhy-dsi--rcian | mnow-fissnear,-sThe | ssym--dpa-mthiz--ding | rJe---dsus;-sHe |
| sspeaks-mtheddroop--ring | mheart-ftoscheer,-sOh, | shear-dthemvoice-dof | rJe---dsus.-- |
| sSweet-lesttnoted'in-sser- | taph-l_ssong,-- | sSweet-lesttnamed'on-smor- | ttal-l_stongue;-- |
| sSweet--mestdcar--rol | mev--ferssung,-- | sJe--dsus,mbless--ded | rJe---dsus.- |
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- Key
- Eb major
- Doh
- Eb
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- s (B♭)
- Range
- d to d' (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- GREAT PHYSICIAN
- Words
- William Hunter, Richard Kempenfelt
- Music
- John H. Stockton
Tune GREAT PHYSICIAN by John H. Stockton (1813–1877); words by William Hunter (1811–1877) and Richard Kempenfelt (1718–1782). 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 Eb · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Eb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus.
Refrain
Sweetest note in seraph song,
Sweetest name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung,
Jesus, blessed Jesus.
Your many sins are all forgiv’n,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus;
Go on your way in peace to heav’n,
And wear a crown with Jesus.
All glory to the dying Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Saviour’s name,
I love the name of Jesus.
His name dispels my guilt and fear,
No other name but Jesus;
Oh, how my soul delights to hear
The charming name of Jesus.
And when to that bright world above,
We rise to see our Jesus,
We’ll sing around the throne of love
His name, the name of Jesus.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Eb 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 (B♭), on the word “The”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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 Hunter’s verses were published in 1859; the refrain is credited to Richard Kempenfelt (1777). John H. Stockton wrote the tune.
- Words (1859): William Hunter (1811–1877)
- Refrain (1777): Richard Kempenfelt (1718–1782)
- Music (1869): John H. Stockton (1813–1877)
Tune GREAT PHYSICIAN by John H. Stockton (1813–1877); words by William Hunter (1811–1877) and Richard Kempenfelt (1718–1782).
Questions about The Great Physician
What is the doh of The Great Physician?
In this version, in Eb major, doh is Eb. 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 Great Physician start on?
It starts on s (B♭ in Eb major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is The Great Physician in the public domain?
Yes. William Hunter died in 1877, Richard Kempenfelt died in 1782, John H. Stockton died in 1877; the words were first published in 1859 and the music in 1869. 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.