'Tis My Happiness Below in Tonic Solfa
'Tis My Happiness Below in Tonic Solfa to MESSIAH (HERALD), doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| m'Tis--rmydhapp--di-- | fness--mbe-rlow--- |
| sNot--ltollive-swith-- | mout-dthe-rcross;--- |
| mBut--rthedSa--dvior's- | fpow'r--mtorknow,--- |
| sSanc---lti-sfying-mev-- | re---drydloss:--- |
| t,Tri---dalsrmust-fand- | mwill--rbe-dfall;--- |
| rBut--mwithfhum--lble- | sfaith--ftomsee--- |
| mLove--rin-dscribed-dup-- | fon--mthemrall,--- |
| sThis--lisshapp--mi-- | rness--dtodme.--- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- t, to l (E to D, a seventh)
- Tune
- MESSIAH (HERALD)
- Words
- William Cowper
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by William Cowper (1731–1800). 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 · 4/4
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
'Tis my happiness below
Not to live without the cross;
But the Savior's pow'r to know,
Sanctifying every loss:
Trials must and will befall;
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all,
This is happiness to me.
God, in Israel, sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
These spring up, and choke the weeds
Which would else o'erspread the soil:
Trials make the promise sweet,
Trials give hew life to prayer;
Trials bring me to his feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there.
Did I meet no trials here,
No chastisement by the way;
Might I not, with reason, fear
I should prove a cast-away:
Bastards may escape the rod,
Sunk in earthly, vain delight;
But the true-born child of God,
Must not, would not, if he might.
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. 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
William Cowper wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book III, hymn 16, “Welcome cross”.
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 MESSIAH (HERALD); any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Cowper (1731–1800)
- Music (1839): Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined)
- Arranged (1839): George Kingsley (died undefined)
Tune MESSIAH (HERALD) by Louis J. F. Herold (died undefined) and George Kingsley (died undefined); words by William Cowper (1731–1800).
Sung to the same tune: Blessing, Honour, Thanks, and Praise, Bound upon the Accursed Tree, Come, and Let Us Sweetly Join, Faint the Earth, and Parched with Drought, God of Love, We Look to Thee, Grace, Triumphant in the Throne, Happy Man Whom God Doth Aid, Happy Soul Who Sees the Day, Hark! How Time's Wide Sounding Bell, Jesus, We Thy Promise Claim, Let the Beasts Their Breath Resign, Lord! Thou Didst Arise and Say, Oft in Vain the Voice of Truth, Sinner, Art Thou Still Secure.
Questions about 'Tis My Happiness Below
What is the doh of 'Tis My Happiness Below?
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 'Tis My Happiness Below start on?
It starts on m (A in F major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is 'Tis My Happiness Below in the public domain?
Yes. William Cowper died in 1800, Louis J. F. Herold died in undefined, George Kingsley died in undefined; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1839. 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.