The Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa) in Tonic Solfa
The Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa) in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 3/2
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- t, to d' (C♯ to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- MAROSA
- Words
- From the Scottish Psalter, 1650
- Music
- James Leith Macbeth Bain
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune MAROSA by James Leith Macbeth Bain (1860–1925); words by From the Scottish Psalter, 1650. Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dThe--- | mLord's-smy-d'shep----sherd--- | lI'll-d'not-swant,---fHe--- |
| mmakes-dme-ddown---t,to--- | dlie-------dIn--- |
| mpas--stures-d'green---sHe--- | llead--d'eth-sme---fThe--- |
| mqui--det-dwa----t,ters--- | dby.-------rHe--- |
| mlead--deth-dme,---rHe--- | mlead--deth-dme,---rThe--- |
| mqui--set-d'wa----d'ters--- | d'by,-------dIn--- |
| mpas--stures-d'green---sHe--- | llead--d'eth-sme---fThe--- |
| mqui--det-dwa----t,ters--- | dby.----------- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is D · 3/2
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
The Lord's my shepherd I'll not want,
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
The quiet waters by,
In pastures green He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make.
Within the paths of blessedness,
E'en for His Own Name's sake;
His Own Name's sake, His Own Name's sake,
E'en for His Own Name's sake;
Within the paths of blessedness,
E'en for His Own Name's sake.
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill,
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still;
I'll fear no ill, I'll fear no ill,
Yet will I fear no ill,
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished well
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows;
It overflows, It overflows,
And my cup overflows;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my days
Will surely follow me:
And in my Father's heart always
My dwelling place shall be;
My dwelling place, My dwelling place,
My dwelling place shall be,
And in my Father's heart always
My dwelling place shall be.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 d (D), on the word “The”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 3/2 means three minim 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
The words are anonymous, in print by 1650. The tune, MAROSA, is by James Leith Macbeth Bain (1915). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1650): From the Scottish Psalter, 1650
- Music (1915): James Leith Macbeth Bain (1860–1925)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune MAROSA by James Leith Macbeth Bain (1860–1925); words by From the Scottish Psalter, 1650. The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about The Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa)
What is the doh of The Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa)?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa) start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is The Lord's My Shepherd (Marosa) in the public domain?
Yes. James Leith Macbeth Bain died in 1925; the words were first published in 1650 and the music in 1915. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.