When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams in Tonic Solfa
When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams in Tonic Solfa to SPANISH HYMN, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWhen--dthet,sun,-dwith- | l,cheer--dful-s,beams,--- |
| mSmiles-dup--fon-ra- | dlow'--t,ring-dsky;--- |
| mSoon--mitsras--mpect- | fsoft--mened-rseems,--- |
| mAnd--marrain--mbow- | fmeets-mthe-reye:--- |
| dWhile--dthet,sky-dre-- | l,mains-dse--s,rene,--- |
| mThis-dbright-farch-ris- | dnev--t,er-dseen.--- |
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- Key
- Ab major
- Doh
- Ab
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (A♭)
- Range
- s, to f (E♭ to D♭, a seventh)
- Tune
- SPANISH HYMN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Spanish Traditional, Benjamin Carr, David Evans
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by John Newton (1725–1807). 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 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 sun, with cheerful beams,
Smiles upon a low'ring sky;
Soon its aspect softened seems,
And a rainbow meets the eye:
While the sky remains serene,
This bright arch is never seen.
Thus the Lord's supporting pow'r
Brightest to his saints appears,
When affliction's threat'ning hour
Fills their sky with clouds and fears.
He can wonders then perform,
Paint a rainbow on the storm.
All their graces doubly shine
When their troubles press them fore;
And the promises divine
Give them joys unknown before:
As the colors of the bow,
To the cloud their brightness owe.
Favored John a rainbow saw
Circling round the throne above;
Hence the saints a pledge may draw
Of unchanging cov'nant love:
Clouds awhile may intervene,
But the bow will still be seen.
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♭).
- 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
John Newton wrote these words. They were printed in Olney Hymns (London, 1779), Book II, hymn 82, “The rainbow”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens, six lines (7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to SPANISH HYMN; any other Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Melody: Spanish Traditional
- Arranged (1822): Benjamin Carr (died undefined)
- Harmony (1927): David Evans (1874–1948)
Tune SPANISH HYMN by Benjamin Carr (died undefined) and David Evans (1874–1948); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: God of Mercy, God of Grace, In the Morning Sow Thy Seed, Lay Her Gently in the Dust, Lead Us with Thy Gentle Sway, O Disclose Thy Lovely Face, Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye, Saviour, Prince of Israel's Race, To the Father's Love We Trust, What Our Father Does Is Well, When Arise the Thoughts of Sin.
Questions about When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams
What is the doh of When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams?
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 Sun, with Cheerful Beams start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is When the Sun, with Cheerful Beams in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Benjamin Carr died in undefined, David Evans died in 1948; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1822. 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.