Ye Servants of the Lord in Tonic Solfa
Ye Servants of the Lord in Tonic Solfa to ST. BRIDE, doh is Bb: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| l,Ye- | m,ser--l,vants-dof-t,the- | l,Lord!-----dEach- |
| s,in-dyour-mof--rfice- | dwait,-----mOb-- |
| rser--dvant-t,of-l,His- | s,heav--f,enly-m,word,-mAnd- |
| l,watch--rful-dat-t,His- | l,gate.----- |
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- Key
- G minor
- Doh
- Bb
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- l, (G)
- Range
- m, to m (D to D, an octave)
- Tune
- ST. BRIDE
- Words
- Philip Doddridge
- Music
- Samuel Howard
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); 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 Bb · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Ye servants of the Lord!
Each in your office wait,
Observant of His heavenly word,
And watchful at His gate.
Let all your lamps be bright,
And trim the golden flame:
Gird up your loins, as in His sight;
For holy is His name.
Watch! 'tis your Lord's command;
And while we speak, He's near:
Mark the first signal of His hand,
And ready all appear.
O happy servant he
In such a posture found!
He shall his Lord with rapture see,
And be with honor crowned.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum Bb 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 l, (G), on the word “Ye”, 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.
- 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 A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, compiled by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson (Boston, 1848), as hymn 277, “I Say unto You, Watch!”.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Short Metre (6.6.8.6), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. BRIDE; any other Short Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)
- Music (1762): Samuel Howard (died undefined)
Tune ST. BRIDE by Samuel Howard (died undefined); words by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751).
Sung to the same tune: All Hail, Life-bearing Cross, Behold What Wondrous Grace, Exalt the Lord Our God, Here, in This Place of Prayer, How Blest the Righteous Are, In Weariness and Pain, Let God the Maker's Name, Let Party Names No More, Let Sinners Take Their Course, Lord What a Feeble Piece, My Saviour and My King, My Soul, Repeat His Praise, Not with Our Mortal Eyes, Now Let Our Voices Join, O Blessed Souls Are They, O Lord, Our Heavenly King, One Sweetly Solemn Thought, Out of the Deep I Call, Raise Your Triumphant Songs, Servants of Christ, Arise, Teach Me, My God and King, The Man Is Ever Blest, The Saviour Gently Calls, The Spirit, in Our Hearts, Thy Love Hath Sweetened Me, We Love This Outward World, When Man Grows Bold in Sin, Where Shall the Man Be Found, Who Has Believ'd Thy Word.
Questions about Ye Servants of the Lord
What is the doh of Ye Servants of the Lord?
In this version, in G minor, doh is Bb. 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 Ye Servants of the Lord start on?
It starts on l, (G in G minor), a pickup on the word “Ye” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to l,.
Is Ye Servants of the Lord in the public domain?
Yes. Philip Doddridge died in 1751, Samuel Howard died in undefined; the words were in print by 1848 and the music in 1762. 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.