When at Thy Feet, Oppressed in Tonic Solfa
When at Thy Feet, Oppressed in Tonic Solfa to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWhen- | mat-mThy-sfeet,-sop-- | d'pressed,-----d'The- |
| tbur--ldened-ssin--fener- | sfalls,-----sAnd,- |
| lwoe--tful-d'and-ldis-- | stressed,-----sUp-- |
| fon-mThy-rmer--rcy- | dcalls,-----dO- |
| dhear-rthe-mpen--di-- | mten--ftial-sprayer,-sFor-- |
| lgive-tthe-d'bur--d'dened- | r'sin----tner--- |
| d'there.------- |
Got your choir's recording? Get it in solfa →
Download the solfa (PDF)A4, free to print and share with your choir
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR)
- Words
- Traditional Greek, John Brownlie
- Music
- Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925). 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
When at Thy feet, oppressed,
The burdened sinner falls,
And, woeful and distressed,
Upon Thy mercy calls, —
O hear the penitential prayer,
Forgive the burdened sinner there.
Did'st Thou not send the Son,
To shew the Father's grace,
To bid a world undone
Arise and seek His face?
And wilt Thou not in mercy say,
"Thy many sins I take away"?
Yea, Thou wilt not despise
The soul's uplifted prayer;
Nor when our hopes arise,
Plunge us in deep despair;
But wilt forgive the evil done,
Through Christ the Well Beloved Son.
O Jesus Christ, by Thee
The Father's grace is found,
And pardon full, and we
With every good abound, —
We see Thee nailed upon the tree,
And know all blessing comes from 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), on the word “When”, 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
John Brownlie translated these words from the Greek service books for Hymns from the East (Paisley, in print by 1911).
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Hallelujah Metre (6.6.6.6.8.8), and this page sets them to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR); any other Hallelujah Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Traditional Greek
- Translated (by 1911): John Brownlie (1857–1925)
- Melody (1851): Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); words by Traditional Greek; translated by John Brownlie (1857–1925).
Sung to the same tune: Arise, My Soul, Arise, Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow, Borne on the Wings of Light, By Whom Was David Taught, Come to the Christ in Tears, Death Moves with Victor's Tread, In Loud, Exalted Strains, Lord, We Thy Will Obey, O Light That Knew No Dawn, Supported by the Word, Th’ Atoning Work Is Done, The Church a Garden Is, The Wealth of High Estate, Thou, Infinite in Love, Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ, To Thee, Great Source of Light, What Contradictions Meet.
Questions about When at Thy Feet, Oppressed
What is the doh of When at Thy Feet, Oppressed?
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 When at Thy Feet, Oppressed start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “When” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is When at Thy Feet, Oppressed in the public domain?
Yes. John Brownlie died in 1925; the words were in print by 1911 and the music in 1851. 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.