When, My Saviour, Shall I Be in Tonic Solfa
When, My Saviour, Shall I Be in Tonic Solfa to PLEYEL'S HYMN, doh is G: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mWhen,-smy-rSa---mviour, | fshall-rI-mbe--- |
| mPer--sfect--rly--mre- | fsigned-rto-dthee--- |
| rPoor-mand-dvile--rin | t,my-l,own-s,eyes,--- |
| mOn--sly-rin--mthy | fwis--rdom-dwise!--- |
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- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (B)
- Range
- s, to s (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- PLEYEL'S HYMN
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Ignaz Joseph Pleyel
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). 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 G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
When, my Saviour, shall I be
Perfectly resigned to thee
Poor and vile in my own eyes,
Only in thy wisdom wise!
Only thee content to know,
Ignorant of all below
Only guided by thy light,
Only mighty in thy might!
So I may thy Spirit know,
Let him as he listeth blow;
Let the manner be unknown,
So I may with thee be one.
Fully in my life express
All the heights of holiness,
Sweetly let my spirit prove
All the depths of humble love!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G 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 m (B).
- 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
Charles Wesley wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 381.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens (7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to PLEYEL'S HYMN; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Arranged (1790): Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined)
Tune PLEYEL'S HYMN by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (died undefined); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: As the Sun's Enlivening Eye, Blest Instructor! from Thy Ways, Choice of God, Thou Blessed Day, Christ, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Come, Said Jesus' Sacred Voice, For a Season Called to Part, Heralds of Creation! Cry, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, I Will Praise Thee Every Day, Interval of Grateful Shade, Lift Aloud the Voice of Praise, Morning Breaks upon the Tomb, Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe, Prayer an Answer Will Obtain, Sleep Not, Soldier of the Cross, Softly Now the Light of Day, Sweeter Founds Than Music Knows, Swell the Anthem, Raise the Song, Thus Said Jesus: — "Go and Do.
Questions about When, My Saviour, Shall I Be
What is the doh of When, My Saviour, Shall I Be?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. 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, My Saviour, Shall I Be start on?
It starts on m (B in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is When, My Saviour, Shall I Be in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel died in undefined; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1790. 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.