When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder in Tonic Solfa
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder in Tonic Solfa: the solfa with the words, staff notation, all three verses with the refrain, and a piano.
- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to s (E♭ to E♭, an octave)
- Tune
- ROLL CALL
- Words
- James Milton Black
- Music
- James Milton Black
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ROLL CALL by James Milton Black (1856–1938); words by James Milton Black (1856–1938). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dWhen-,rthe | mtrum--,mpetmof-,mthemLord-,rshalldsound,-,dand | rtime-,dshalldbe-,l,nos,more,-dAnd-,rthe |
| mmorn--,mingmbreaks,-,me-mter--,mnal,rbright-,dand | rfair;-----dWhen-,rthe |
| msaved-,mofmearth-,mshallmga--,rtherdov--,der | ron-,dthedo--,l,thers,shore,-dAnd-,rthe |
| mroll-,mismcalled-,dupryon--,rder,rI’ll-,t,be | dthere.-----mWhen-,fthe |
| sroll-----,fismcalled-,fup | syon----mder,-mWhen-,mthe |
| froll-----,misrcalled-,mup | fyon----rder,-mWhen-,fthe |
| sroll-----,misrcalled-,dup | dyon----fder,-fWhen-,rthe |
| mroll-,mismcalled-,dupryon--,rder,rI’ll-,t,be | dthere.----- |
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 Ab · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in Ab major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Let us labour for the Master from the dawn till setting sun;
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Ab 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 (A♭), 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. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
James Milton Black, a Methodist Sunday-school teacher in Pennsylvania, wrote both the words and the tune in 1893.
- Words (1893): James Milton Black (1856–1938)
- Melody (1893): James Milton Black (1856–1938)
Melody from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ROLL CALL by James Milton Black (1856–1938); words by James Milton Black (1856–1938). 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.
Questions about When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder
What is the doh of When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder?
In this version, in Ab major, doh is Ab. 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 the Roll Is Called Up Yonder start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major), a pickup on the word “When” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder in the public domain?
Yes. James Milton Black died in 1938, James Milton Black died in 1938; the words were first published in 1893 and the music in 1893. 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.