Will Your Anchor Hold? in Tonic Solfa
Will Your Anchor Hold? in Tonic Solfa to WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the four verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dWill-,ryour | man--dchor-l,hold-rin-,rthe | dstorms-t,of-dlife?-mWhen-,mthe | rclouds-run--sfold-t,theird_ | t,wings-l,of-s,strife;-s,When-,s,the |
| dstrong-mtides-rlift-s,and-,s,the | rca--fbles-mstrain,-dWill-,myour | san--schor-sdrift,f_dorr_ | mfirm-rre--dmain?--- |
| sWe-shave-,sansan-schor-sthat | lkeeps-sthe-ssoul--- | mStead--mfastmandssure-swhile-,mthe | dbil--mlows-rroll;--- |
| sFast-senedsto-,sthesRock-mwhich- | fcan--snot-lmove,--- | sGround-sedmfirmdands,deep-fin-,fthe | mSav--riour’s-dlove!- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- s, to l (C to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD
- Words
- Priscilla J. Owens
Tune WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD by William J. Kirkpatrick (1838–1921); words by Priscilla J. Owens (1829–1907). 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 F · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife;
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
Refrain
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
When the breakers roar and the reef is near;
While the surges rave, and the wild winds blow,
Shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow?
Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
While your anchor holds within the veil.
Will your eyes behold through the morning light
The city of gold, and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
When life’s storms are past for evermore?
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (F), on the word “Will”, 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
Priscilla J. Owens wrote the words and William J. Kirkpatrick the tune; both date from 1882. The verses here are as Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos prints them.
- Words (1882): Priscilla J. Owens (1829–1907)
- Music (1882): William J. Kirkpatrick (1838–1921)
Questions about Will Your Anchor Hold?
What is the doh of Will Your Anchor Hold??
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 Will Your Anchor Hold? start on?
It starts on d (F in F major), a pickup on the word “Will” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Will Your Anchor Hold? in the public domain?
Yes. Priscilla J. Owens died in 1907, William J. Kirkpatrick died in 1921; the words were first published in 1882 and the music in 1882. 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.