The King of Love My Shepherd Is in Tonic Solfa
The King of Love My Shepherd Is in Tonic Solfa to DOMINUS REGIT ME: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the six verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mThe- | sKing-fof-mlove-mmy- | rshep--rherd-dis,-s,Whose- |
| s,good---l,nesst,fail--deth- | mnev----rer.-sI- |
| fnoth--mingr_mlack-mif- | rI-damt,_dhis,-l,And- |
| s,he--l,ist,mine-dfor-- | mev--r_-der.- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- DOMINUS REGIT ME
- Words
- Henry Williams Baker
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune DOMINUS REGIT ME by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul he leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me;
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (B), 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
Henry Williams Baker wrote the words, first published in 1868. The tune, DOMINUS REGIT ME, is by John Bacchus Dykes (1868).
- Words (1868): Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877)
- Music (1868): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune DOMINUS REGIT ME by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877).
Sung to the same tune: Alas, My God! My Sins Are Great, Lord, in Thy Kingdom There Shall Be, To Thee, O Christ, Our Prayers Shall Rise, To Thy Blest Cross, O Christ, We Come.
Questions about The King of Love My Shepherd Is
What is the doh of The King of Love My Shepherd Is?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 King of Love My Shepherd Is start on?
It starts on m (B in G major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is The King of Love My Shepherd Is in the public domain?
Yes. Henry Williams Baker died in 1877, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were first published in 1868 and the music in 1868. 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.