Though in the Midst of Life We Be in Tonic Solfa

Though in the Midst of Life We Be in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 3 verses, and a piano to sing along with.

Key: C major
Doh: C
Time: 4/4
Starts on: s (G)
Range: d to r' (C to D, a ninth)
Tune: MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND
Words: Medieval, Martin Luther, Richard Massie
Music: Medieval, Martin Luther

The solfa with the words

Doh is C4/4

sThough-sin-lmidst-tof-

d'life-d'we-tbe,-l_-

tSnares-d'of-r'death-lsur--

sroundm_f_-mus;---

sWhere-sshall-lwe-tfor-

d'suc--d'cor-tflee,-l_-

tLest-d'our-r'foes-lcon--

sfoundm_f_-mus?-_rTo

mThee-ma--slone,-four-

mSa--r_-dvior.-_dWe

smourn-sour-lgrie--tvous-

d'sin-d'which-thath-l_-

tStirr'd-d'the-r'fire-lof-

sThym_ffierce-mwrath.---

lHo----sly-mand-

fgra--scious-mGod!---

sHo----sly-mand-

fmight--sy-mGod!---

lHo----sly-land-

tall‑---tmer----

tci--lful-sSa--f_-

mvior!---rThou-le--

ster--fnal-mGod!---

lSave-sus,-lLord,-tfrom-

d'sink--l_-sing---

d'In-tthe-r'deep-land-

sbit--fter-mflood.---

rKy--lri--se-fe--

mlei----mson.---

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 C · 4/4

| s - s - l - t - Though in midst of| d' - d' - t - l - |life we be,

| t - d' - r' - l - Snares of death sur-| s m f - m - - - |round us;

| s - s - l - t - Where shall we for| d' - d' - t - l - |succor flee,

| t - d' - r' - l - Lest our foes con-| s m f - m - _ r |found us? To

| m - m - s - f - Thee alone, our| m - r - d - _ d |Savior. We

| s - s - l - t - mourn our grievous| d' - d' - t - l - |sin which hath

| t - d' - r' - l - Stirr'd the fire of| s m f - m - - - |Thy fierce wrath.

| l - - - s - m - Holy and| f - s - m - - - |gracious God!

| s - - - s - m - Holy and| f - s - m - - - |mighty God!

| l - - - s - l - Holy and| t - - - t - - - |all‑ mer-

| t - l - s - f - ciful Sa-| m - - - r - l - |vior! Thou e-

| s - f - m - - - ternal God!| l - s - l - t - |Save us, Lord, from

| d' - l - s - - - sinking| d' - t - r' - l - |In the deep and

| s - f - m - - - bitter flood.| r - l - s - f - |Kyrie e-

| m - - - m - - - |leison.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

Though in midst of life we be,
Snares of death surround us;
Where shall we for succor flee,
Lest our foes confound us?
To Thee alone, our Savior.
We mourn our grievous sin which hath
Stirr'd the fire of Thy fierce wrath.
Holy and gracious God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all—merciful Savior!
Thou eternal God!
Save us, Lord, from sinking
In the deep and bitter flood.
Kyrie eleison.

Whilst in midst of death we be,
Hell's grim jaws o'ertake us;
Who from such distress will free.
Who secure will make us?
Thou only, Lord, canst do it!
It moves Thy tender heart to see
Our great sin and misery.
Holy and gracious God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all—merciful Savior!
Thou eternal God!
Let not hell dismay us
With its deep and burning flood.
Kyrie eleison.

Into hell's fierce agony
Sin doth headlong drive us:
Where shall we for succor flee,
Who, O, who will hide us?
Thou only, blessed Saviour.
Thy precious blood was shed to win
Peace and pardon for our sin.
Holy and gracious God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all—merciful Savior!
Let us not, we pray,
From the true faith's comfort
Fall in our last need away.
Kyrie eleison.

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 s (G).
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

The words are by Martin Luther, first published in 1524. The English translation is by Richard Massie (1854). The tune, MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND, is by Martin Luther (1524). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.

Words (1524): Medieval
Words (1524): Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Translated (1854): Richard Massie (1800–1887)
Melody (1524): Medieval
Music (1524): Martin Luther (1483–1546)

Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND by Martin Luther (1483–1546); words by Medieval and Martin Luther (1483–1546); translated by Richard Massie (1800–1887). 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 Though in the Midst of Life We Be

What is the doh of Though in the Midst of Life We Be?

In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Though in the Midst of Life We Be start on?

It starts on s (G in C major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.

Is Though in the Midst of Life We Be in the public domain?

Yes. Martin Luther died in 1546, Richard Massie died in 1887, Martin Luther died in 1546; the words were first published in 1854 and the music in 1524. 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.