Time, with an Unwearied Hand in Tonic Solfa
Time, with an Unwearied Hand in Tonic Solfa to MARTYN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mTime,---mwith-man---dun-- | rwea----rried-rhand,----- |
| mPush----mes-sround---fthe- | msea------rsons----- |
| dpast,----------- | mAnd---min-mlife's---dfrail- |
| rglass,---rthe-rsand----- | mSinks---ma--space,---fnot- |
| mlong-----rto----- | dlast:----------- |
| sMan----sy,-swell---sas- | lyou-----lor----- |
| sI,----------- | sWho---slast-syear---sas-- |
| lsem------lbled----- | sthus;----------- |
| mIn---mtheir-msi----dlent- | rgraves---rnow-rlie,----- |
| mGraves---mwill-so----fpen- | msoon-----rfor----- |
| dus!----------- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- d to l (F to D, a sixth)
- Tune
- MARTYN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Simeon B. Marsh
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); 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 F · 6/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Time, with an unwearied hand,
Pushes round the seasons past,
And in life's frail glass, the sand
Sinks apace, not long to last:
Many, well as you or I,
Who last year assembled thus;
In their silent graves now lie,
Graves will open soon for us!
Daily sin, and care, and strife,
While the Lord prolongs our breath,
Make it but a dying life,
Or a kind of living death:
Wretched they, and most forlorn,
Who no better portion know;
Better ne'er to have been born,
Than to have our all below.
When constrained to go alone,
Leaving all you love behind;
Ent'ring on a world unknown,
What will then support your mind?
When the Lord his summons sends,
Earthly comforts lose their pow'r;
Honors, riches, kindred, friends,
Cannot cheer a dying hour.
Happy souls who fear the Lord
Time is not too swift for you;
When your Savior gives the word,
Glad you'll bid the world adieu:
Then he'll wipe away your tears,
Near himself appoint your place;
Swifter fly, ye rolling years,
Lord, we long to see thy face.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (A).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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. 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 II, hymn 2, “Time how short”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MARTYN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1834): Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined)
Tune MARTYN by Simeon B. Marsh (died undefined); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Christ, by Heav’nly Hosts Adored, God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Light of Life, Seraphic Fire, Men! Whose Boast It Is That Ye, Omnipresent God! Whose Aid, Other Ground Can No Man Lay, Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart, Saved by Blood I Live to Tell, See the Gloomy Gath'ring Cloud, See! Another Year Is Gone, Though the Morn May Be Serene.
Questions about Time, with an Unwearied Hand
What is the doh of Time, with an Unwearied Hand?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Time, with an Unwearied Hand start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Time, with an Unwearied Hand in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Simeon B. Marsh died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1834. 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.