Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded in Tonic Solfa
Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded in Tonic Solfa to ST. AUSTIN, doh is F: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 3 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| mZi---monmstands-rwith- | fhills-msur--rround--ded,- |
| rZi---ron,rkept-l,by- | dpower-t,di--l,vine;--- |
| mAll--mhermfoes-rshall- | fbe-mcon--rfound--ded,- |
| rThough--rtherworld-l,in- | darms-t,com--l,bine.--- |
| fHap---fpyfZi--mon,- | rWhat--rarhap--l,py- |
| dlot---t,is--- | l,thine!------- |
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- Key
- D minor
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- m (A)
- Range
- l, to f (D to B♭, a sixth)
- Tune
- ST. AUSTIN
- Words
- Thomas Kelly
- Music
- Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book
Tune ST. AUSTIN (Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book); words by Thomas Kelly (1769–1855). 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 D minor, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Zion stands with hills surrounded,
Zion, kept by power divine;
All her foes shall be confounded,
Though the world in arms combine.
Happy Zion,
What a happy lot is thine!
Every human tie may perish,
Friend to friend unfaithful prove,
Brothers cease their own to cherish,
Heaven and earth at last remove;
But no changes
Can attend Jehovah’s love.
In the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright,
But can never cease to love thee;
Thou art precious in His sight;
God is with thee,
God, thine everlasting Light.
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 m (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 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
Thomas Kelly wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 465.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked 8.7.8.7.4.7, to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to ST. AUSTIN; any other 8.7.8.7.4.7 tune fits them as well.
- Words: Thomas Kelly (1769–1855)
- Melody: Gregorian Chant
- Melody (1876): Bristol Tune Book
Tune ST. AUSTIN (Gregorian Chant, Bristol Tune Book); words by Thomas Kelly (1769–1855).
Sung to the same tune: Brother, Will You Slight the Message, Come to Jesus, O My Brothers, Come, Thou Soul-transforming Spirit, Yes, We Trust the Day Is Breaking.
Questions about Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded
What is the doh of Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded?
In this version, in D minor, 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 Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded start on?
It starts on m (A in D minor). Find doh first, then sing up or down to m.
Is Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded in the public domain?
Yes. Thomas Kelly died in 1855; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1876. 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.