Thy Mighty Word Commanding in Tonic Solfa
Thy Mighty Word Commanding in Tonic Solfa to ST. ALPHEGE, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dThy- | mmight--fy-sword-dcom-- | t,mand----ding,-dThe- |
| t,hea--dvens-fwere-msettled- | rhigh,-----dAnd- |
| mearth-fto-sThee-sre-- | lspond----sing-dWas- |
| dspread-rbe--mneath-rthe- | dsky.----- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- t, to l (F♯ to E, a seventh)
- Tune
- ST. ALPHEGE
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Henry John Gauntlett
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Thy mighty word commanding,
The heavens were settled high,
And earth to Thee responding
Was spread beneath the sky.
O God of power, Thy servants
Would seek Thy power divine,
That they their hearts to love Thee
May evermore incline.
And gazing on the glory
That shines in triple ray,
Our souls shall feast with gladness
On Thy sweet light alway.
And of Thy glory shining,
And of Thy ruling light,
From age to age Thy servants
Shall hymn both day and night.
To Thee be lasting praises,
Immortal Three in One, —
Thou Father, Son, and Spirit, —
Now, and while ages run.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 (G), on the word “Thy”, 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the Greek Office Books (Paisley, 1904), headed “Ode VIII of Metrophanes”.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens and Sixes (7.6.7.6), and this page sets them to ST. ALPHEGE; any other Sevens and Sixes tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1904): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Music (1852): Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876)
Tune ST. ALPHEGE by Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: In Time of Tribulation, O God of Light and Glory, The Light Pours Down from Heaven, The Mellow Eve Is Gliding.
Questions about Thy Mighty Word Commanding
What is the doh of Thy Mighty Word Commanding?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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 Thy Mighty Word Commanding start on?
It starts on d (G in G major), a pickup on the word “Thy” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Thy Mighty Word Commanding in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925, Henry John Gauntlett died in 1876; the words were in print by 1904 and the music in 1852. 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.