When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing in Tonic Solfa
When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing in Tonic Solfa to ALL SAINTS, NEW, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 2 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sWhen,- | mon--fde-svo--d'tion's- | d'ser---taphtwing,-d'The- |
| r'spir--m'it-f'soars-m'a-- | r'bove,-----r'And- |
| m'feels--r'Thyd'pre--tsence,- | tFa---lther,lFriend,-lGod- |
| sof-d'e--tter---d'nal | d'love!-----d'The- |
| d'joys-d'of-tearth,-thow- | lswift--ltheylfade-lBe-- |
| sfore-sthat-sliv--sing- | sray,-----fWhich- |
| mgives--ftosthe-d'rapt- | d'soul--tatglimpse-d'Of- |
| m'pure-r'and-d'per--tfect- | d'day!----- |
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- Key
- Bb major
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (F)
- Range
- m to f' (D to E♭, a ninth)
- Tune
- ALL SAINTS, NEW
- Music
- Henry Stephen Cutler
Tune ALL SAINTS, NEW by Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902); words by Sarah Elizabeth Miles (1807–1877). 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 Bb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Bb major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
When, on devotion's seraph wing,
The spirit soars above,
And feels Thy presence, Father, Friend,
God of eternal love!
The joys of earth, how swift they fade
Before that living ray,
Which gives to the rapt soul a glimpse
Of pure and perfect day!
A gleam of Heaven's own light, though now
Its brightness scarce appears
Through the pale shadows that are spread
Around our earthly years;
But Thine unclouded smile, O God!
Fills that all-glorious place,
Where we shall know as we are known,
And see Thee, face to face.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 (F), 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. 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
Sarah Elizabeth Miles 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 359, “Foretaste of Heaven”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Common Metre Double (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ALL SAINTS, NEW; any other Common Metre Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: Sarah Elizabeth Miles (1807–1877)
- Music (1872): Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902)
Tune ALL SAINTS, NEW by Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902); words by Sarah Elizabeth Miles (1807–1877).
Sung to the same tune: All Nature's Works His Praise Declare, Amid Surrounding Gloom and Waste, Father, When O'er Our Trembling Hearts, God of All Grace and Majesty, I Looked upon the Righteous Man, Jesus, My Master and My Lord, Lord, Soothe My Anxious, Troubled Soul, Now Gird Your Patient Loins Again, O Where Are Kings and Empires Now, O, Not Alone with Outward Sign, O, Who Shall See the Glorious Day, Oh! Not Alone with Outward Sign, Our Pathway Oft Is Wet with Tears, The Aged Sufferer Waited Long, Thy Servants in the Temple Watched.
Questions about When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing
What is the doh of When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing?
In this version, in Bb major, doh is Bb. 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, on Devotion's Seraph Wing start on?
It starts on s (F in Bb major), a pickup on the word “When” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is When, on Devotion's Seraph Wing in the public domain?
Yes. Sarah Elizabeth Miles died in 1877, Henry Stephen Cutler died in 1902; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1872. 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.