When Israel's Tribes Were Parched with Thirst in Tonic Solfa

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.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.

The words

How to sing it from the solfa

• Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 (G), 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 Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book I, hymn 128, “That Rock was Christ. 1Cor 10:4”.

The book printed the words without tunes, marked Long Metre (8.8.8.8), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to WINCHESTER NEW; any other Long Metre tune fits them as well.

• Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
• Melody (1690): From "Musikalisches Handbuch", Hamburg, 1690

Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune WINCHESTER NEW (From "Musikalisches Handbuch", Hamburg, 1690); words by John Newton (1725–1807). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this tune as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.

Sung to the same tune: 'Twas from Thy Hand, My God, I Came, "Father Divine!" the Saviour Cried, "Thy Kingdom Come!" the Heathen Lands, "What Happy Men, or Angels These, "Where Are the Mourners, (Saith the Lord), A Glance from Heaven, with Sweet Effect, A King Shall Reign in Righteousness, A Voice upon the Midnight Air, Abraham, When Severely Tried, As Needles Point Towards the Pole, As When the Weary Travell'r Gains, As, When the Deluge-waves Were Gone, Awake, My Soul! Lift Up Thine Eyes, Be Still! Be Still! for All Around, Because Thy Mercy Is So Great, Before Jehovah's Awful Throne, Bless'd Are the Humble Souls That See, Blessed Redeemer How Divine, Blest Is the Man, for Ever Blest, Blest Is the Man, Forever Blest, Blood Has a Voice to Pierce the Skies, By Faith in Christ I Walk with God, Can Creatures to Perfection Find, Children in Years and Knowledge Young, Come, Thou Creator Spirit Blest, Deceiv'd by Subtle Snares of Hell, Deep in Our Hearts Let Us Record, Deep in the Dust Before Thy Throne, Enslaved by Sin and Bound in Chains, Ere the Blue Heavens Were Stretch'd Abroad, Ere to the World Again We Go, Eternal Source of Light and Thought, Father of All, Omniscient Mind, Father of Heav’n, Whose Love Profound, Father of Might, My Bonds I Feel, Father, Once More Let Grateful Praise, Father, Supply My Every Need, Father, Whose Everlasting Love, Firm Was My Health, My Day Was Bright, For Thee, O God, Our Constant Praise, From All That Dwell Below the Skies, Glory to Thee, My God, This Night, God Gives His Mercies to Be Spent, God of My Life! Through All Its Days, God of Our Fathers! from Whose Hand, God of the Seas, Thy Thundering Voice, God of the Year! with Songs of Praise, God, in the Gospel of His Son, Great Is the Lord, Exalted High, Happy the Church, Thou Sacred Place, He Dies! the Friend of Sinners Dies, Hear What the Lord, the Great Amen, Ho! Every One That Thirsts, Draw Nigh, How Kind the Good Samaritan, How Rich Are Thy Provisions Lord, How Soon the Savior's Gracious Call, How Welcome to the Saints, When Pressed, I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow, I Cannot Bear Thine Absence, Lord, I Thirst, but Not as Once I Did, I Will Extol Thee, Lord, on High, If God Succeed Not, All the Cost, Jehovah Reigns; He Dwells in Light, Jesu, Delight of Every Heart, Jesus, We Bless Thy Father's Name, Jesus, Whose Blood So Freely Streamed, Jesus! and Shall It Ever Be, Join All the Names of Love and Power, Join, Every Tongue, to Praise the Lord, Just Are Thy Ways, and True Thy Word, Kind Is the Speech of Christ Our Lord, Let Everlasting Glories Crown, Let the Old Heathens Tune Their Song, Let the Wild Leopards of the Wood, Life and Immortal Joys Are Given, Lo! God Is Here; Let Us Adore, Look from Thy Sphere of Endless Day, Lord of the Wide-extended Main, Lord, May Thy Holy Spirit Calm, Lord, Thou Hast Searched and Seen Me Through, Lord, Thou Hast Seen My Soul Sincere, Lord, We Adore Thy Vast Designs, Lord, We Adore Thy Wondrous Grace, Lord, What a Thoughtless Wretch Was I, Lord, When My Thoughts with Wonder Roll, Master Supreme, I Look to Thee, Mercy and Judgment Are My Song, My God, My King, Thy Various Praise, My Harp upon the Willows, Grave, My Spirit Sinks Within Me, Lord, No Change of Times Shall Ever Shock, No, I'll Repine at Death No More, Not to Condemn the Sons of Men, Now Daylight Floods the Morning Sky, Now Let Us Join with Hearts and Tongues, Now Sinks the Glowing Orb of Day, Now to the Power of God Supreme, Now, God of Light, the Morn Appears, O Christ, Our True and Only Light, O Christ, to Thy Disciples Then, O Christ, Who Art the Peerless Light, O Day, the Chief of Days, Whose Light, O Fairest-born of Love and Light, O Father! Humbly We Repose, O God, Whose Presence Glows in All, O God! Thou Art My God Alone, O Holy Spirit, Font of Love, O Let Us Our Own Works Forsake, O Lord, Thou in the Hour of Need, O That My Load of Sin Were Gone, O Thou Who Cloth'st Thyself Complete, O Thou, to Whom, in Ancient Time, O, Stay Thy Tears! for They Are Blest, Oft as the Bell, with Solemn Toll, Oh! Sweet It Is to Know, to Feel, On Light-beams Breaking from Above, One Aweful Word Which Jesus Spoke, Our God So Loved the World That He, Our Spirits Join T' Adore the Lamb, Our Times Are in Thy Hand, and Thou, Press on, Press on! Ye Sons of Light, Remember, Lord, Our Mortal State, Ride on! Ride on in Majesty, Saints, at Your Father's Heavenly Word, Saviour, I Now with Shame Confess, Say, Why Should Friendship Grieve for Those, See, How Rude Winter's Icy Hand, Shall the Vile Race of Flesh and Blood, Sweet Is the Bliss of Souls Serene, Th' Almighty Reigns Exalted High, That Man No Guard or Weapons Needs, The Great Archangel's Trump Shall Sound, The King of Glory Sends His Son, The Law Commands, and Makes Us Know, The Lord, the Judge, His Churches Warns, The Old Year Now Hath Passed Away, The Past Is Dark with Sin and Shame, The Voice That Speaks Jehovah Near, The Water Stood Like Walls of Brass, The Wondering World Enquires to Know, This Child We Dedicate to Thee, This Day the Lord Hath Called His Own, Through All This Life's Eventful Road, Thus Saith the First, the Great Command, Thus Saith the High and Lofty One, Thy Bounteous Hand with Food Can Bless, Thy Praise Was Sung When Time Began, Thy Presence, Everlasting God, Up to the Hills I Lift Mine Eyes, Veiled Was the Glory of Thy Face, We Come Our Sabbath Hymn to Raise, We Worship, Lord, Before Thee Now, Wearied by Day with Toils and Cares, What Shall the Dying Sinner Do, When Adam Fell He Quickly Lost, When God Descends with Men to Dwell, When in Thine Hour of Conflict, Lord, When Jesus to the Jordan Came, When Thou, O Christ, upon the Tree, When, Like a Stranger on Our Sphere, When, Wakened by Thy Voice of Power, Where Wilt Thou Go Since Night Draws Near, Who Shall a Temple Build for Him, Wide as His Vast Dominion Lies, Would You Behold the Works of God, Ye Christian Heralds, — Go, Proclaim, Ye Servants of Th' Almighty King.