When Arise the Thoughts of Sin in Tonic Solfa
When Arise the Thoughts of Sin in Tonic Solfa to SPANISH HYMN, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWhen--da-t,rise-dthe- | l,thoughts-dof-s,sin,--- |
| mWhen-dthe-fworld-rour- | dhearts-t,would-dwin,--- |
| mWhen,--mtorself--mish- | fplea--msure-rgiven,--- |
| mDroops--mtherlove-mthat- | fblooms-mfor-rheaven;--- |
| dLord,--dwet,would-dre-- | l,mem--dber-s,thee,--- |
| mThou-dwilt-four-rRe-- | ddeem--t,er-dbe.--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- SPANISH HYMN
- Words
- William Gaskell
- Music
- Spanish Traditional, Benjamin Carr, David Evans
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by William Gaskell (1805–1884). 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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
When arise the thoughts of sin,
When the world our hearts would win,
When, to selfish pleasure given,
Droops the love that blooms for heaven;
Lord, we would remember thee, —
Thou wilt our Redeemer be.
When, with footsteps faint and slow,
Duty's upward path we go;
When, by toils and hardship pressed,
Round we turn to look for rest;
Lord, we would remember thee,
Thou our Guide and Strength wilt be.
When the way grows dark and drear,
When, beset by doubt and fear,
We can see no beam of light
Struggling through the thickening night;
Lord, we would remember thee,
Thou our Comforter wilt be.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 (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. 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
William Gaskell wrote these words. They were printed in A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 148, “Christ Who Strengtheneth Me”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SPANISH HYMN; any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: William Gaskell (1805–1884)
- Melody: Spanish Traditional
- Arranged (1822): Benjamin Carr (died undefined)
- Harmony (1927): David Evans (1874–1948)
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by William Gaskell (1805–1884).
Sung to the same tune: God of Mercy, God of Grace, In the Morning Sow Thy Seed, Lay Her Gently in the Dust, Lead Us with Thy Gentle Sway, O Disclose Thy Lovely Face, Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye, Saviour, Prince of Israel's Race, To the Father's Love We Trust, What Our Father Does Is Well, When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams.
Questions about When Arise the Thoughts of Sin
What is the doh of When Arise the Thoughts of Sin?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 When Arise the Thoughts of Sin start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is When Arise the Thoughts of Sin in the public domain?
Yes. William Gaskell died in 1884, Benjamin Carr died in undefined, David Evans died in 1948; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1822. 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.