We Plough the Fields and Scatter in Tonic Solfa
We Plough the Fields and Scatter in Tonic Solfa to WIR PFLÜGEN: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the 3 verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| s,We- | dplough-dthe-s,fields,-s,and- | mscat----dter-s,The- | f,good-m,seed-r,on-d,the- | s,land,-----dBut- |
| t,it-l,is-s,fed-mand- | rwa--d_-t,ter’d-s,By- | l,God’s-mAl--rmight--fe,y- | s,Hand;-----s,He- |
| rsends-rthe-msnow-min- | fwin----rter,-rThe- | swarmth-sto-fswell-mthe- | rgrain,-----s,The- |
| dbreez--des,-s,and-s,the- | l,sun----m,shine,-m,And- | f,soft--r,re-s,fresh--t,ing- | drain.------- |
| dAll-dgood-dgifts-da-- | rround---rus-rAre- | msent--sfromfHeav’n-ma-- | rbove,-----rThen- |
| mthank-rthe-mLord,--rO | dthank-t,the-dLord,--s,For | l,all-r_-d_-t,His- | dlove.----- |
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- Key
- A major
- Doh
- A
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s, (E)
- Range
- d, to s (A to E)
- Tune
- WIR PFLÜGEN
- Words
- Matthias Claudius, Jane Montgomery Campbell
- Music
- Johann Abraham Peter Schulz
Tune WIR PFLÜGEN by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747–1800); words by Matthias Claudius (1740–1815); translated by Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817–1878). 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 A · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in A major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
We plough the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and water’d
By God’s Almighty Hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes, and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
Refrain
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heav’n above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love.
He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
We thank Thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed-time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food;
Accept the gifts we offer
For all Thy love imparts,
And, what Thou most desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum A 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 s, (E), on the word “We”, 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 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
Matthias Claudius wrote the German poem in 1782, and Jane Montgomery Campbell’s English translation dates from 1861. The tune WIR PFLÜGEN is by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, from 1800.
- Words (1782): Matthias Claudius (1740–1815)
- Translated (1861): Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817–1878)
- Music (1800): Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747–1800)
Questions about We Plough the Fields and Scatter
What is the doh of We Plough the Fields and Scatter?
In this version, in A major, doh is A. 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 Plough the Fields and Scatter start on?
It starts on s, (E in A major), a pickup on the word “We” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s,.
Is We Plough the Fields and Scatter in the public domain?
Yes. Matthias Claudius died in 1815, Jane Montgomery Campbell died in 1878, Johann Abraham Peter Schulz died in 1800; the words were first published in 1861 and the music in 1800. 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.