Holy, Holy, Holy for Alto Saxhear it, slow it down, play along
- Tune: NICAEA
- John Bacchus Dykes
- E♭ alto sax
- B major
- 4/4
- 16 bars
On the alto sax
It runs from B4 to B5 (written).
It is written in B major, a major sixth above how it sounds, so it sounds in D major, the same key as the concert-pitch versions. You can play it together with a violin or flute reading their own page.
How it goes
Four lines of four bars in 4/4, in quarter and half notes with a few dotted pairs. Line 1 climbs the notes of the home chord; line 4 answers it and comes down to the home note.
A way to practise it
Keep the repeated notes even and give each half note its full two beats. Loop line 2 slowly: it runs down from the top note to the lowest note of the line and climbs back.
- Slow ♩ = 60
- Practice ♩ = 80
- Goal ♩ = 100
About the hymn
Reginald Heber's words were published in 1826. John Bacchus Dykes wrote the tune for them, and the two were first printed together in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861.
The tune is named after the Council of Nicaea, AD 325, where church leaders began to set out the doctrine of the Trinity.
Holy, Holy, Holy for other instruments
Each version is written in a key that suits the instrument, with its own page and player.
Reading a transposed part
E♭ alto sax reads a different note from the one that sounds. How alto sax transposition works, with a chart you can listen to.
More hymns
Questions
- Is there Holy, Holy, Holy sheet music for alto sax?
- Yes. This page shows the melody written for E♭ alto sax in B major, 16 bars in 4/4, and plays it. The notes are public domain.
- What notes does Holy, Holy, Holy use on alto sax?
- In this version the melody runs from B4 to B5 (written). Press play and watch the cursor: it follows the notes as they sound.
- How fast should I play Holy, Holy, Holy?
- Hymnals don't fix one speed, and churches sing it at different tempos. Start around ♩ = 60, practise at 80, then match the speed your church sings it. The player's tempo buttons move in steps of 4.
- Is this the same key as my hymnal?
- Maybe not: hymnals print Holy, Holy, Holy in different keys. This page sounds in D major. Check the key signature in your hymnal before you play along with the organ or piano.
- Is this in concert pitch or written pitch for alto sax?
- Written pitch. E♭ alto sax sounds a major sixth lower than written, so the B major on this page sounds in D major. The player plays it at the pitch you would hear.
- Can I play it together with other instruments?
- Yes: the versions for Violin, Cello, Flute, B♭ clarinet, B♭ trumpet, F horn sound in the same key, D major, so you can play them at the same time, each reading their own page.
Photograph your own part with ScoreLens.
This player is the one in the app. Photograph a printed melody or instrumental part, and ScoreLens plays it back, slower or in another key. It reads one line on one staff: a hymnal page with four voices on two staves is out of reach for now, and so is handwriting.
