The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God in Tonic Solfa
The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God in Tonic Solfa to MATERNA, doh is C: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sThe- | sheav---menlymspheres-sto- | sThee,--rOrGod,-mAt-- |
| ftune-stheir-leve--tning- | shymn;-----sAll- |
| swise,--mallmho--sly,- | sThou--rartrpraised-r'In- |
| de'song-r'of-m'ser--la-- | r'phim.-----sUn-- |
| m'num---m'beredr'sys--d'tems,- | d'suns,--tandtworlds,-d'U-- |
| r'nite-tto-lwor--sship- | d'Thee,-----d'While- |
| d'Thy--lma-ljes--d'tic- | d'great---snesssfills-sSpace,- |
| ltime,-d'e--ster--r'ni-- | d'ty.----- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (G)
- Range
- r to m' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- MATERNA
- Words
- John Bowring
- Music
- Samuel A. Ward
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by John Bowring (1792–1872). 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
The heavenly spheres to Thee, O God,
Attune their evening hymn;
All-wise, all-holy, Thou art praised
In song of seraphim.
Unnumbered systems, suns, and worlds,
Unite to worship Thee,
While Thy majestic greatness fills
Space, time, eternity.
Nature, a temple worthy Thee,
Beams with Thy light and love;
Whose flowers so sweetly bloom below,
Whose stars rejoice above;
Whose altars are the mountain-cliffs
That rise along the shore;
Whose anthems, the sublime accord
Of storm and ocean-roar.
Her song of gratitude is sung
By Spring's awakening hours;
Her Summer offers at Thy shrine
Its earliest, loveliest flowers;
Her Autumn brings its golden fruits,
In glorious luxury given;
While Winter's silver heights reflect
Thy brightness back to heaven.
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 s (G), 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 and the chromatic de. 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
John Bowring 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 399, “The Hymn of the Seasons”.
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 MATERNA; any other Common Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Bowring (1792–1872)
- Music (1882): Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903)
Tune MATERNA by Samuel A. Ward (1848–1903); words by John Bowring (1792–1872).
Sung to the same tune: And Let This Feeble Body Fail, Behold, the King of Zion Rides, I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, Jerusalem! My Glorious Home, Joined in a Union Firm and Strong, My Shepherd Is the Lord on High, Not That Thy Boundless Love, My God, O God, That Madest Earth and Sky, O Thou, Who Didst Ordain the Word, The Earth, All Light and Loveliness, The World May Change from Old to New, Thou Must Go Forth Alone, My Soul, Who Shall Behold the Glorious Day, Ye Joyous Ones! upon Whose Brow.
Questions about The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God
What is the doh of The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God?
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 The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God start on?
It starts on s (G in C major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is The Heavenly Spheres to Thee, O God in the public domain?
Yes. John Bowring died in 1872, Samuel A. Ward died in 1903; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1882. 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.