The Man Is Ever Blest in Tonic Solfa
The Man Is Ever Blest in Tonic Solfa to ST. BRIDE, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| l,The- | m,man-l,is-dev--t,er- | l,blest-----dWho- |
| s,shuns-dthe-msin--rner's- | dways,-----mA-- |
| rmong-dtheir-t,coun--l,sels- | s,nev--f,er-m,stands,-mNor- |
| l,takes-rthe-dscor--t,ner's- | l,place;----- |
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- Key
- G minor
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- l, (G)
- Range
- m, to m (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. BRIDE
- Words
- Isaac Watts
- Music
- Samuel Howard
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). 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
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
The man is ever blest
Who shuns the sinner's ways,
Among their counsels never stands,
Nor takes the scorner's place;
But makes the Law of God
His study and delight,
Amidst the labours of the day,
And watches of the night.
He like a tree shall thrive,
With waters near the root:
Fresh as the leaf his name shall live,
His works are heavenly fruit.
Not so th' ungodly race,
They no such blessings find;
Their hopes shall flee like empty chaff
Before the driving wind.
How will they bear to stand
Before that judgment-seat,
Where all the saints at Christ's right hand
In full assembly meet?
He knows, and he approves
The way the righteous go;
But sinners and their works shall meet
A dreadful overthrow.
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 l, (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. 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
Isaac Watts wrote these words for The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament (1719): Psalm 1, part 2, headed “The saint happy, the sinner miserable”.
Watts' psalms were printed without tunes and sung to any tune of their metre, Short Metre (6.6.8.6). This page sets the words to ST. BRIDE; any other Short Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words (1719): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
- Music (1762): Samuel Howard (died undefined)
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748).
Sung to the same tune: All Hail, Life-bearing Cross, Behold What Wondrous Grace, Exalt the Lord Our God, Here, in This Place of Prayer, How Blest the Righteous Are, In Weariness and Pain, Let God the Maker's Name, Let Party Names No More, Let Sinners Take Their Course, Lord What a Feeble Piece, My Saviour and My King, My Soul, Repeat His Praise, Not with Our Mortal Eyes, Now Let Our Voices Join, O Blessed Souls Are They, O Lord, Our Heavenly King, One Sweetly Solemn Thought, Out of the Deep I Call, Raise Your Triumphant Songs, Servants of Christ, Arise, Teach Me, My God and King, The Saviour Gently Calls, The Spirit, in Our Hearts, Thy Love Hath Sweetened Me, We Love This Outward World, When Man Grows Bold in Sin, Where Shall the Man Be Found, Who Has Believ'd Thy Word, Ye Servants of the Lord.
Questions about The Man Is Ever Blest
What is the doh of The Man Is Ever Blest?
In this version, in G minor, 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 Man Is Ever Blest start on?
It starts on l, (G in G minor), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to l,.
Is The Man Is Ever Blest in the public domain?
Yes. Isaac Watts died in 1748, Samuel Howard died in undefined; the words were first published in 1719 and the music in 1762. 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.