We Have Heard the Wondrous Story in Tonic Solfa
We Have Heard the Wondrous Story in Tonic Solfa to OMNI DIE, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWe-dhave- | rheard---dthe---mwon--sdrous- | fsto----mry---dOf-rthe- |
| mRe--ssur--srec----fetion--- | smorn;-------sWe-shave- |
| lseen---sits---fmatch--mless- | rglo----mry,---dChrist-rthe- |
| mri--fsen-rLord-----da-- | ddorn.------- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- d to l (F to D, a sixth)
- Tune
- OMNI DIE
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Gesangbuch, Corner
Tune OMNI DIE (Gesangbuch, Corner); 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 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
We have heard the wondrous story
Of the Resurrection morn;
We have seen its matchless glory,
Christ the risen Lord adorn.
Men with erring sinners found Thee,
Found the only sinless One;
And upon a Cross they bound Thee,
For the good that Thou hadst done;
We have heard the wondrous story
Of the Resurrection day, —
Christ our God, to Him be glory,
For He casts death's bands away.
Come, ye faithful, come with gladness,
To your God thanksgiving pay;
For the Cross was shorn of sadness
On the Resurrection day.
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 d (F), on the word “We”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- 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 and the chromatic fe. 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 of the Greek Church (Edinburgh and London, 1900).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Eights and Sevens (8.7.8.7), and this page sets them to OMNI DIE; any other Eights and Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (1900): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody (1631): Gesangbuch, Corner
Tune OMNI DIE (Gesangbuch, Corner); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: "Come Who Will," the Voice from Heaven, Christ, for Thee a Wreath Adorning, Cross, Reproach, and Tribulation, Father, Breathe an Evening Blessing, Go in Peace! — Serene Dismission, Jesus, Thou Art Mine Forever, O Thou Sun of Glorious Splendor, Part in Peace! Is Day Before Us, Pastor, Thou Art from Us Taken, Praise to Thee, Thou Great Creator, Where the Lord Reveals His Presence.
Questions about We Have Heard the Wondrous Story
What is the doh of We Have Heard the Wondrous Story?
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 We Have Heard the Wondrous Story start on?
It starts on d (F in F major), a pickup on the word “We” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is We Have Heard the Wondrous Story in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925; the words were in print by 1900 and the music in 1631. 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.