Under His Wings in Tonic Solfa
Under His Wings in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 4 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- Db major
- Doh
- Db
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- m (F)
- Range
- d to r' (D♭ to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- UNDER HIS WINGS
- Words
- William Orcutt Cushing
- Music
- Ira David Sankey
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune UNDER HIS WINGS by Ira David Sankey (1840–1908); words by William Orcutt Cushing (1823–1902). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| mUn--fder-feHis-swings---sIsam | ssafe--lly-ma--sbid--fing,--- |
| rThough-mthe-fnight-ldeep--sens-sand- | stemp--rests-reare-mwild,----- |
| mStill-fI-fecan-strust-sHim;-d'I- | r'know-d'He-lwill-lkeep-sme,--- |
| lHe-thas-d're--d'deemed-sme,-mand- | sI-fam-rHis-dchild.----- |
| sUn--mder-sHis-d'wings,----- | tun--lder-tHis-d'wings,----- |
| d'Who-sfrom-mHis-llove-s_-mcan- | msev--rer?-------__ |
| dUn--mder-sHis-d'wings---tmy- | r'soul-d'shall-la--sbide,----- |
| lSafe--tly-d'a--sbide-m_-dfor-- | rev------der.--- |
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 WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is Db · 6/4
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
Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life's trials are o'er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I'm safe evermore.
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 m (F).
- 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 t and the chromatic fe re. 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
The words are by William Orcutt Cushing, first published in 1896. The tune, UNDER HIS WINGS, is by Ira David Sankey (1898). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1896): William Orcutt Cushing (1823–1902)
- Music (1898): Ira David Sankey (1840–1908)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune UNDER HIS WINGS by Ira David Sankey (1840–1908); words by William Orcutt Cushing (1823–1902). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about Under His Wings
What is the doh of Under His Wings?
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 Under His Wings start on?
It starts on m (F in Db major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Under His Wings in the public domain?
Yes. William Orcutt Cushing died in 1902, Ira David Sankey died in 1908; the words were first published in 1896 and the music in 1898. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.