TO Thee, Before the Dawning Light in Tonic Solfa

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.

Staff notation

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

The words

How to sing it from the solfa

• Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 “TO”, 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

Isaac Watts wrote these words for The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament (1719): Psalm 119, part 2, headed “Secret devotion and spiritual mindedness; or, Constant converse with God”.

Watts' psalms were printed without tunes and sung to any tune of their metre, Common Metre (8.6.8.6). This page sets the words to CAITHNESS; any other Common Metre tune fits them as well.

• Words (1719): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
• Melody (1635): Scottish Psalter

Tune CAITHNESS (Scottish Psalter); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748).

Sung to the same tune: 'Twas in the Watches of the Night, "I Lift My Banners," Saith the Lord, "The Promise of My Father's Love, A Glory Gilds the Sacred Page, A Lion, Though by Nature Wild, Again Our Ears Have Heard the Voice, Although on Massy Pillars Built, Are Sinners Now So Senseless Grown, Author of Good, We Rest on Thee, Awake, My Soul! Stretch Every Nerve, Behold the Wretch Whose Lust and Wine, By Faith We Find the Place Above, Chief Shepherd of Thy Chosen Sheep, Come, Let Us Join Our Souls to God, Come, Let Us Lift Our Joyful Eyes, Come, O Thou All-victorious Lord, Daughter of Zion! from the Dust, Dear as Thou Wert, and Justly Dear, Death Has Been Here, and Borne Away, Do I Believe What Jesus Saith, Enslaved to Sense, to Pleasure Prone, Father of All Our Mercies, Thou, Father, I Sing Thy Wondrous Grace, Father, We Wait to Feel Thy Grace, For Ever Blessed Be the Lord, From Thee, My God, My Joys Shall Rise, Gladness Was Spread Through Israel's Host, God of My Mercy and My Praise, Great Shepherd of Thy People, Hear, He Who on Earth as Man Was Known, Hear What the Lord in Vision Said, Hosanna, with a Cheerful Sound, How Honourable Is the Place, How Hurtful Was the Choice of Lot, How Long Wilt Thou Conceal Thy Face, How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings, Lord, How Shall I Praise Th' Eternal God, How Shall My Inward Joys Arise, How Should the Sons of Adam's Race, How Sweet, upon This Sacred Day, How Vain Are All Things Here Below, I Waited Patient for the Lord, I'll Speak the Honours of My King, In the Glad Morn of Life, When Youth, Infinite Grief! Amazing Woe, Jesus, Our Lord, Ascend Thy Throne, Jesus, the All-restoring Word, Jesus, Thy Blessings Are Not Few, Jesus, to Thee I Now Can Fly, Jesus, United by Thy Grace, John Was the Prophet of the Lord, Let Deepest Silence All Around, Let Every Mortal Ear Attend, Let Me Not Wander Comfortless, Lo! What an Entertaining Sight, Lord of My Life! O May Thy Praise, Lord, Hast Thou Cast the Nation Off, Lord, I Believe a Rest Remains, Lord, I Esteem Thy Judgments Right, Lord, I Would Spread My Sore Distress, My God, Accept My Heart This Day, My God, How Many Are My Fears, My God, Thy Service Well Demands, My Heart, How Dreadful Hard It Is, My Soul Lies Cleaving to the Dust, My Soul, Come Meditate the Day, My Thoughts on Awful Subjects Roll, My Trust Is in My Heavenly Friend, Nor Eye Has Seen, nor Ear Has Heard, Not from the Dust Affliction Grows, Now Plead My Cause, Almighty God, O Father, Though the Anxious Fear, O for a Closer Walk with God, O God of Jacob, by Whose Hand, O God, Whose Favorable Eye, O Jesus, When I Think of Thee, O Lord, Our Lord, How Wondrous Great, O Pure Reformers! Not in Vain, O Thou, Enthroned in Worlds Above, O, for a Heart to Praise My God, O, If Thy Brow, Serene and Calm, Of All the Gifts Thine Hand Bestows, Our Days, Alas! Our Mortal Days, Our God, How Firm His Promise Stands, Our God, Our Help in Ages Past, Our Little Bark, on Boisterous Seas, Parent of All, Omnipotent, Physician of My Sin-sick Soul, Poor Sinners! Little Do They Think, Rejoice, Ye Righteous, in the Lord, Searcher of Hearts! Before Thy Face, See Israel's Gentle Shepherd Stand, See Lovely Nature Raise Her Head, See Where the Great Incarnate God, Sing to the Lord, Ye Heavenly Hosts, Sitting Around Our Father's Board, So New Born Babes Desire the Breast, Speak with Us, Lord; Thyself Reveal, Sweet Was the Time When First I Felt, The Bud Will Soon Become a Flower, The Earth for Ever Is the Lord's, The Gath'ring Clouds, with Aspect Dark, The Glorious Universe Around, The Lord of Glory Is My Light, The Lord unto My Lord Hath Said, The Lord Will Happiness Divine, The Majesty of Solomon, The Message First to Smyrna Sent, The Promise Was Divinely Free, The Spirit Breathes upon the Word, These Mortal Joys, How Soon They Fade, This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made, Thrice Happy Souls, Who, Born from Heaven, Thus Saith the Ruler of the Skies, Thy Works of Glory, Mighty Lord, To God I Cry'd with Mournful Voice, To God I Made My Sorrows Known, We Bless the Prophet of the Lord, What Glorious Tidings Do I Hear, What Though the Arm of Conquering Death, What Vain Desires, and Passions Vain, When Abrah'm, Full of Sacred Awe, When Jesus Claims the Sinner's Heart, When Paul Was Parted from His Friends, When We Are Rais'd from Deep Distress, While Joshua Led the Armed Bands, Why Should the Children of a King.