Weary Souls, That Wander Wide in Tonic Solfa
Weary Souls, That Wander Wide in Tonic Solfa to RATISBON (WERNER), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sWea--sry-lsouls,-tthat- | d'wan--d'der-twide--- |
| lFrom-d'the-scen--mtral- | fpoint-rof-dbliss,--- |
| mTurn-mto-rJe--msus- | fcru--fci--mfied,--- |
| mFly-lto-sethose-ldear- | twounds-tof-lhis:--- |
| d'Sink-lin--sto-mthe- | fpur--fple-mflood;--- |
| lRise-lin--sto-mthe- | rlife-rof-dGod!--- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (A)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- RATISBON (WERNER)
- Words
- Charles Wesley, John Wesley
- Music
- Werner's Choralbuch, William Henry Havergal
Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791). 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 D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Weary souls, that wander wide
From the central point of bliss,
Turn to Jesus crucified,
Fly to those dear wounds of his:
Sink into the purple flood;
Rise into the life of God!
Find in Christ the way of peace,
Peace unspeakable, unknown;
By his pain he gives you ease,
Life by his expiring groan;
Rise, exalted by his fall,
Find in Christ your all in all.
O believe the record true,
God to you his Son hath give
Ye may now be happy too,
Find on earth the life of heaven,
Live the life of heaven above,
All the life of glorious love.
This the universal bliss,
Bliss for every soul designed,
God's original promise this,
God's great gift to all mankind:
Blest in Christ this moment be!
Blest to all eternity!
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 s (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 and the chromatic se. 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 Wesley printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 20. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to RATISBON (WERNER); any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
- Melody (1815): Werner's Choralbuch
- Harmony (1861): William Henry Havergal (1793–1870)
Tune RATISBON (WERNER) by William Henry Havergal (1793–1870); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).
Sung to the same tune: As the Hart, with Eager Looks, Centre of Our Hopes Thou Art, Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies, Ever Patient, Loving, Meek, Holy Spirit, Come with Power, It Is Finished! Glorious Word, Jesu, Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus, I Believe Thee Near, Jesus, While He Dwelt Below, Lamb of God, Who Bear'st Away, On Thy Church, O Power Divine, Praise to God, Immortal Praise, Quiet, Lord, My Froward Heart, Safely Through Another Week, Savior Shine and Cheer My Soul, When the Parting Bosom Bleeds, Who Shall Towards Thy Chosen Seat.
Questions about Weary Souls, That Wander Wide
What is the doh of Weary Souls, That Wander Wide?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 Weary Souls, That Wander Wide start on?
It starts on s (A in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Weary Souls, That Wander Wide in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, William Henry Havergal died in 1870; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1815. 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.