Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation in Tonic Solfa
Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation in Tonic Solfa to PERFECT LOVE, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWeep---mthou,-sO- | smourn----ser!--- |
| sbut-sin-d'la--tmen-- | tta----ltion--- |
| rLet---mthy-fRe-- | sdeem----mer--- |
| dstill-dre--mmem--rbered- | t,be;------- |
| dStrong---mis-sHis- | sarm,---sthe--- |
| sGod-sof-d'thy-tsal-- | tva----ltion,--- |
| lStrong---sis-fHis- | mlove-sto-fcheer-rand- |
| l,com----t,fort--- | dthee.------- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- l, to d' (B to D, a tenth)
- Tune
- PERFECT LOVE
- Words
- Anonymous
- Music
- Joseph Barnby
Tune PERFECT LOVE by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Anonymous. 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
Weep thou, O mourner! but in lamentation
Let thy Redeemer still remembered be;
Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation,
Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.
Cold though the world be, in the way before thee
Wail not in sadness o'er the darkling tomb;
God in His love still watcheth kindly o'er thee,
Light shineth still above the clouds of gloom.
Dimmed though thine eyes be with the tears of sorrow
Night only known beneath the sky of time,
Faith can behold the dawning of a morrow
Glowing in smiles of life and joy sublime.
Change, then, O mourner, grief to exultation;
Firm and confiding should thy spirit be;
Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation,
Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.
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).
- 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
These words were printed without an author's name in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 340, “The Mourner”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Elevens and Tens (11.10.11.10), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to PERFECT LOVE; any other Elevens and Tens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Anonymous
- Music (1889): Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)
Tune PERFECT LOVE by Joseph Barnby (1838–1896); words by Anonymous.
Sung to the same tune: O Light of Light! When Other Lights Are Fading, O Perfect Love.
Questions about Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation
What is the doh of Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation?
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 Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Weep Thou, O Mourner! but in Lamentation in the public domain?
Yes. Joseph Barnby died in 1896; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1889. 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.