What Is the World to Me? in Tonic Solfa
What Is the World to Me? in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 5 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (A)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT
- Words
- Georg Michael Pfefferkorn, August Crull
- Music
- Ahasverus Fritsch
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT by Ahasverus Fritsch (1629–1701); words by Georg Michael Pfefferkorn (1645–1731); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| sWhat- | mis-dthe-sworld-sto- | lme-----lWith- |
| rall-rits-svaun--fted- | mplea--r_-dsure-sWhen- |
| lThou,-land-sThou-fa-- | mlone,-----rLord- |
| mJe--fesus,-sart-lmy- | tTrea--l_-ssure!-sThou- |
| so--snly,-d'dea--tarest- | lLord,-----lMy- |
| lsoul's-lDe--r'light-d'shalt- | tbe;-----sThou- |
| lart-smy-lPeace,-tmy- | d'Rest,-----sWhat- |
| sis-mthe-rworld-rto- | dme!----- |
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 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
What is the world to me
With all its vaunted pleasure
When Thou, and Thou alone,
Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!
Thou only, dearest Lord,
My soul's Delight shalt be;
Thou art my Peace, my Rest,
What is the world to me!
The world is like a cloud
And like a vapor fleeting,
A shadow that declines,
Swift to its end retreating.
My Jesus doth abide,
Though all things fade and flee;
My everlasting Rock,
What is the world to me!
The world seeks to be praised
And honored by the mighty,
Yet never once reflects
That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize
Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone,
What is the world to me!
The world seeks after wealth
And all that mammon offers,
Yet never is content
Though gold should fill its coffers.
I have a higher good,
Content with it I'll be:
My Jesus is my Wealth,
What is the world to me!
The world is sorely grieved
Whenever it is slighted
Or when its hollow fame
And honor have been blighted.
Christ, Thy reproach I bear
Long as it pleaseth Thee;
I'm honored by my Lord,
What is the world to me!
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), on the word “What”, 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 ta. 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 Georg Michael Pfefferkorn, first published in 1667. The English translation is by August Crull (1893). The tune, WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT, is by Ahasverus Fritsch (1679). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1667): Georg Michael Pfefferkorn (1645–1731)
- Translated (1893): August Crull (1845–1923)
- Music (1679): Ahasverus Fritsch (1629–1701)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT by Ahasverus Fritsch (1629–1701); words by Georg Michael Pfefferkorn (1645–1731); translated by August Crull (1845–1923). 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 What Is the World to Me?
What is the doh of What Is the World to Me??
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 What Is the World to Me? start on?
It starts on s (A in D major), a pickup on the word “What” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is What Is the World to Me? in the public domain?
Yes. Georg Michael Pfefferkorn died in 1731, August Crull died in 1923, Ahasverus Fritsch died in 1701; the words were first published in 1893 and the music in 1679. 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.