When I Survey the Wondrous Cross in Tonic Solfa
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross in Tonic Solfa to ROCKINGHAM, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, four verses and a piano.
- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 3/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ROCKINGHAM
- Words
- Isaac Watts
- Music
- Edward Miller
Tune ROCKINGHAM by Edward Miller (1735–1807); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dWhen- | mI-f_-rsur-- | dvey---mthe- | swon----ldrous- | scross---sOn- |
| d'which---tthe- | lPrince---sof- | sglo--f_-mry- | mdied,-r_-rMy- |
| srich----lest- | tgain---sI- | d'count-m_-febut- | sloss,---dAnd- |
| fpour---mcon-- | rtempt---don- | dallr_m_-rmy- | dpride.--- |
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 · 3/4
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 I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down:
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
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. 3/4 means three 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
Isaac Watts published this hymn in Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), as a meditation on Galatians 6:14. Edward Miller adapted the tune ROCKINGHAM in 1790 from an older melody; in America the words are also sung to Lowell Mason's HAMBURG.
- Words (1707): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
- Adapted the melody (1790): Edward Miller (1735–1807)
Tune ROCKINGHAM by Edward Miller (1735–1807); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748).
Questions about When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
What is the doh of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross?
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 I Survey the Wondrous Cross 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 I Survey the Wondrous Cross in the public domain?
Yes. Isaac Watts died in 1748, Edward Miller died in 1807; the words were first published in 1707 and the music in 1790. 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.