Theories, Which Thousands Cherish in Tonic Solfa
Theories, Which Thousands Cherish in Tonic Solfa to ALL FOR JESUS, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mThe--so--d'ries,-twhich- | lthou--ssands-scher--fish,- |
| mPass-slike-dclouds-mthat- | rsweep-dthe-rsky;--- |
| rCreeds-mand-fdog--lmas- | r'all-d'may-d'per--tish;- |
| d'Truth-sher--sself-fcan- | mnev--rer-ddie.--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (F♯)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ALL FOR JESUS
- Music
- John Stainer
Tune ALL FOR JESUS by John Stainer (1840–1901); words by Robert Cassie Waterston (1812–1893). 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 D · 4/4
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
Theories, which thousands cherish,
Pass like clouds that sweep the sky;
Creeds and dogmas all may perish;
Truth herself can never die.
From the glorious heavens above her,
She has shed her beams abroad,
That the souls who truly love her,
May become the sons of God.
Worldlings blindly may refuse her,
Close their eyes and call it night;
Learned scoffers may abuse her,
But they cannot quench her light!
Thrones may totter, empires crumble,
All their glories cease to be;
While she, Christ-like, crowns the humble,
And from bondage sets them free.
God himself will e'er defend her
From the fury of her foe,
Till she, in her native splendor,
Sits enthroned o'er all below.
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 m (F♯).
- 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
Robert Cassie Waterston wrote these words. They were printed in Hymns for Christian Devotion, compiled by John G. Adams and Edwin H. Chapin (Boston, 1846), as hymn 1002 of its twenty-second edition (1853), “"As for the truth, it endureth and is always strong."”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ALL FOR JESUS; any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Robert Cassie Waterston (1812–1893)
- Music (1887): John Stainer (1840–1901)
Tune ALL FOR JESUS by John Stainer (1840–1901); words by Robert Cassie Waterston (1812–1893).
Sung to the same tune: Brother, Rest from Sin and Sorrow, Christian Soldiers in the Conflict, Come Ye People, Come Adore Him, Fare Thee Well, Our Fondly Cherished, Father, Source of Every Blessing, In the Cross of Christ I Glory, Israel's Shepherd, Guide Me, Feed Me, Israel's Shepherd, Guide Us, Feed Us, Lamb of God, We Fall Before Thee, Light Serene of Holy Glory, One Sweet Flower Has Drooped and Faded, Savior, All My Sins Confessing, Saviour! I My Cross Have Taken, Sister, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely.
Questions about Theories, Which Thousands Cherish
What is the doh of Theories, Which Thousands Cherish?
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 Theories, Which Thousands Cherish start on?
It starts on m (F♯ in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Theories, Which Thousands Cherish in the public domain?
Yes. Robert Cassie Waterston died in 1893, John Stainer died in 1901; the words were in print by 1853 and the music in 1887. 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.