While the Stars Unnumbered Roll in Tonic Solfa
While the Stars Unnumbered Roll in Tonic Solfa to ST. BEES, doh is Ab: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 6 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWhile-dthe-dstars--t,un- | l,num--t,bered-droll--- |
| rRound-rthe-mev--s,er- | l,con--rstant-t,pole,--- |
| rFar-fa--mbove--dthese | t,span--rgled-dskies--- |
| dAll-rmy-dthoughts-dto- | dGod--t,shalldrise.--- |
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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
- ST. BEES
- Words
- Philip Doddridge
- Music
- John Bacchus Dykes
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751). 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
While the stars unnumbered roll
Round the ever-constant pole,
Far above these spangled skies
All my thoughts to God shall rise.
From on high He shall impart
Secret comfort to my heart;
He in these serenest hours
Guide my spiritual powers.
He His spirit doth diffuse,
Sweeter far than midnight dews;
Lifting all my thoughts above,
On the wings of faith and love.
What if death my sleep invade; —
Should I be of death afraid?
Whilst encircled by Thine arm,
Death may strike, but cannot harm.
Visions brighter than the morn
Greet the deathless spirit born;
See, the guardian angel nigh
Waits to waft my soul on high!
With Thy heavenly presence blest,
Death is life, and labor, rest;
Welcome sleep or death to me,
Still secure, for still with Thee!
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
Philip Doddridge wrote these words. They were printed in the supplement of the 1866 edition of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1866), as hymn 555, “Night”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens (7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. BEES; any other Sevens tune fits them as well.
- Words: Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
- Music (1862): John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876)
Tune ST. BEES by John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751).
Sung to the same tune: 'Tis a Point I Long to Know, "Give Us Room, That We May Dwell,", Children of the Heavenly King, Father, Hear Us When We Pray, Feeble, Helpless, How Shall I, For Thy Mercy and Thy Grace, Hark! a Voice Divides the Sky, Honey Though the Bee Prepares, Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord, Lord, We Come Before Thee Now, Lord! Deliver; Thou Canst Save, Nay, I Cannot Let Thee Go, Now Let Us Come Before Him, Now May Fervent Prayer Arise, Partners of a Glorious Hope, There's a Strife We All Must Wage, What a Mournful Life Is Mine.
Questions about While the Stars Unnumbered Roll
What is the doh of While the Stars Unnumbered Roll?
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 While the Stars Unnumbered Roll start on?
It starts on d (A♭ in Ab major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is While the Stars Unnumbered Roll in the public domain?
Yes. Philip Doddridge died in 1751, John Bacchus Dykes died in 1876; the words were in print by 1866 and the music in 1862. 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.