O God, Our Help in Ages Past for Clarinethear it, slow it down, play along
- Tune: ST. ANNE
- William Croft
- B♭ clarinet
- D major
- 4/4
- 8 bars
On the clarinet
It runs from F♯4 to E5 (written), so it crosses the break between the throat notes and the upper register.
It is written in D major, a major second above how it sounds, so it sounds in C 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
Two lines of four bars in 4/4, all quarter notes except the long note at the end of each line. Churches sing it once for every verse.
A way to practise it
It is short: loop it whole at the slow tempo, then at the practice tempo. Watch the raised fourth note of the scale near the end of line 1.
- Slow ♩ = 60
- Practice ♩ = 80
- Goal ♩ = 100
About the hymn
The tune is credited to William Croft and was first printed in 1708, in A Supplement to the New Version. It is probably named after St Anne's Church in Soho, London, where Croft was organist.
Isaac Watts's words, a paraphrase of Psalm 90, were published in 1719.
O God, Our Help in Ages Past for other instruments
Each version is written in a key that suits the instrument, with its own page and player.
Reading a transposed part
B♭ clarinet reads a different note from the one that sounds. How clarinet transposition works, with a chart you can listen to.
More hymns
Questions
- Is there O God, Our Help in Ages Past sheet music for clarinet?
- Yes. This page shows the melody written for B♭ clarinet in D major, 8 bars in 4/4, and plays it. The notes are public domain.
- What notes does O God, Our Help in Ages Past use on clarinet?
- In this version the melody runs from F♯4 to E5 (written), so it crosses the break between the throat notes and the upper register. Press play and watch the cursor: it follows the notes as they sound.
- How fast should I play O God, Our Help in Ages Past?
- 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 O God, Our Help in Ages Past in different keys. This page sounds in C 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 clarinet?
- Written pitch. B♭ clarinet sounds a major second lower than written, so the D major on this page sounds in C 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♭ trumpet, E♭ alto sax, F horn sound in the same key, C 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.
