The Spacious Firmament on High in Tonic Solfa
The Spacious Firmament on High in Tonic Solfa to SWEET HOUR, doh is Db: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dThe | mspa--fcioussfir--sma- | lment-tond'high,-lWith | sall-mthembluer_dethe- | rre--malrsky,-dAnd |
| mspangled-fhea-svens,-sa | lshin--tingd'frame,-lTheir | sgreat-mo-mrig-r_di- | mnal-rpro-dclaim.-sTh'un- |
| d'wea--triedd'sun,-lfrom | sday-mtosday,-sDoth | d'his-tCre-d'a--ltor's | spower-mdis-rplay;-dAnd |
| mpub--flish-ses-sto | lev--teryd'land-lThe | swork-mofmanr_dAl- | mmight--rydhand.- |
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- Key
- Db major
- Doh
- Db
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- d (D♭)
- Range
- d to d' (D♭ to D♭, an octave)
- Tune
- SWEET HOUR
- Words
- Joseph Addison
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Joseph Addison (1672–1719). 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 Db · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Db major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim.
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Doth his Creator's power display;
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.
Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars which round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amidst their radiant orbs be found;
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing, as they shine, —
"The hand that made us is divine."
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Db 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. 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
Joseph Addison wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 175 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “The Heavens declare the Glory of God”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Long Metre Double (8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SWEET HOUR; any other Long Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
- Music (1861): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by Joseph Addison (1672–1719).
Sung to the same tune: Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord, Eternal, Spotless Lamb of God, How Shall We Praise Thee, Lord of Light, Jesu, My Advocate Above, Lamp of Our Feet! Whose Hallowed Beam, O Holy Father! 'Mid the Calm, Sweet Hour of Prayer, Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear, When Dread Misfortune's Tempests Rise.
Questions about The Spacious Firmament on High
What is the doh of The Spacious Firmament on High?
In this version, in Db major, doh is Db. 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 Spacious Firmament on High start on?
It starts on d (D♭ in Db major), a pickup on the word “The” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is The Spacious Firmament on High in the public domain?
Yes. Joseph Addison died in 1719, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1861. 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.