While with Ceaseless Course the Sun in Tonic Solfa
While with Ceaseless Course the Sun in Tonic Solfa to WATCHMAN, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWhile---rwith-mcease----rless- | mcourse---fthe-ssun----- |
| sHast----med-sthrough---lthe- | sfor----mmer-ryear,----- |
| dMan----ry-msouls---rtheir- | mrace---fhave-srun,----- |
| d'Nev----ler-smore---rto- | mmeet---rus-dhere----- |
| sFixed---min-d'an---le-- | ster----mnal-d'fate,----- |
| sThey---mhave-d'done---lwith- | tall---lbe--slow;----- |
| mWe---ra-dlit----rtle- | mlon----fger-swait,----- |
| d'But---lhow-slit----rtle-- | mnone---rcan-dknow.----- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 6/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to d' (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- WATCHMAN
- Words
- John Newton
- Music
- Lowell Mason
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); 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 D · 6/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
While with ceaseless course the sun
Hasted through the former year,
Many souls their race have run,
Never more to meet us here
Fixed in an eternal fate,
They have done with all below;
We a little longer wait,
But how little--none can know.
As the winged arrow flies
Speedily the mark to find;
As the lightning from the skies
Darts, and leaves no trace behind;
Swiftly thus our fleeting days
Bear us down life's rapid stream;
Upwards, Lord, our spirits raise,
All below is but a dream.
Thanks for mercies past receive,
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us, henceforth, how to live
With eternity in view:
Bless thy word to young and old,
Fill us with a Savior's love;
And when life's short tale is told,
May we dwell with thee above.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D 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 (D).
- Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) 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 1, “Time how swift”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.
- Words: John Newton (1725–1807)
- Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)
Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by John Newton (1725–1807).
Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Darkness Overspreads Us Here, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear, Father! Thy Paternal Care, Gracious Lord, Our Children See, Guide Us, Lord! While, Hand in Hand, Mary to Her Savior's Tomb, Meet and Right It Is to Praise, O My God, What Must I Do, Pleasing Spring Again Is Here, Time, by Moments, Steals Away.
Questions about While with Ceaseless Course the Sun
What is the doh of While with Ceaseless Course the Sun?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. 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 with Ceaseless Course the Sun start on?
It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is While with Ceaseless Course the Sun in the public domain?
Yes. John Newton died in 1807, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1779 and the music in 1830. 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.