Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear in Tonic Solfa
Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear in Tonic Solfa to SWEET HOUR, doh is Db: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dThough | msore-fbe-sset-swith | lguilt-tandd'fear,-lI | scan--mnot,mdarer_dnot, | rquite-mde-rspair;-dIf |
| mI-fmustsper--sish, | lwould-tthed'Lord-lHave | staught-mmymheartr_dto | mlove-rhisdword?-sWould |
| d'he-thaved'giv'n-lme | seyes-mtossee-sMy | d'dan--tger,d'and-lmy | srem--me-rdy,-dRe- |
| mvealed-fhissname,-sand | lbid-tmed'pray,-lHad | she-mre-msolvedr_dto | msay-rmednay?- |
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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
- John Newton
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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
Though sore beset with guilt and fear,
I cannot, dare not, quite despair;
If I must perish, would the Lord
Have taught my heart to love his word?
Would he have giv'n me eyes to see
My danger, and my remedy,
Revealed his name, and bid me pray,
Had he resolved to say me nay?
No--though cast down I am not slain;
I fall, but I shall rise again;
The present Satan is thy hour,
But Jesus shall control thy pow'r:
His love will plead for my relief,
He hears my groans, he sees my grief;
Nor will he suffer thee to boast,
A soul, that sought his help, was lost.
'Tis true, I have unfaithful been,
And grieved his Spirit by my sin;
Yet still his mercy he'll reveal,
And all my wounds and follies heal:
Abounding sin, I must confess,
But more abounding is his grace;
He once vouchsafed for me to bleed,
And now he lives my cause to plead.
I'll cast myself before his feet,
I see him on his mercy-seat,
('Tis sprinkled with atoning blood)
There sinners find access to God:
Ye burdened souls approach with me,
And make the Savior's name your plea;
Jesus will pardon all who come,
And strike our fierce accuser dumb.
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 “Though”, 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
John Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book III, hymn 32, “Cast down, but not destroyed”.
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: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1861): William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868)
Tune SWEET HOUR by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
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, The Spacious Firmament on High, When Dread Misfortune's Tempests Rise.
Questions about Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear
What is the doh of Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear?
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 Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear start on?
It starts on d (D♭ in Db major), a pickup on the word “Though” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Though Sore Beset with Guilt and Fear in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, William Batchelder Bradbury died in 1868; the words were in print by 1779 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.