JOY to the WORLD

Joy to the World Christmas Carol History

The Lord is Come! Nativity Song by Isaac Watts and Mason

Dec 7, 2007 Tel Asiado

Joy to the World - Tel Asiado

The most popular Christmas carol "Joy to the World," was written by English text author Isaac Watts (1674-1748), with music possibly adapted from Handel's "Messiah" and arranged by composer Lowell Mason (1792-1872) to the tune name "Antioch."

For Christians, joy with love, is the theme of Christmas, realizing the spiritual significance of Christ's birth (nativity) and implications of why He came in the first place.

The Hymn "Joy to the World"

"Joy to the World" is another of Isaac Watts' hymns from his famous hymnal, Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. It was his intent in writing this collection to give the Psalms a New Testament meaning and style, by paraphrasing in Christian verse the book of Psalms in the Bible.

"Joy to the World!" is a product of the verse taken from the last half of Psalm 98, a song of rejoicing at the wonderful ways in which God has protected and guided His chosen people. The Psalm anticipates the time when "Jehovah will be the God of the whole earth and Israel's law will be accepted by all of the nations."

Watts gave the verse a new interpretation – a New Testament expression of praise for the salvation that began when God came to earth as baby Jesus, destined to remove curse from Adam's fall. Watts first titled the text "The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom."

Text Author Isaac Watts

As a boy, English hymn-writer Isaac Watts showed literary genius. From 5 until 13 years old, he learned Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew. Aside from hymn writing, he was also a student of theology and philosophy. Watts wrote significant volumes which had a powerful influence on English thinking.

One Sunday after returning from a service, and ever highly critical of the congregational type of Psalm singing, young Isaac was challenged by his father, "why don't you give us something better to sing?" Watts, then aged 18, accepted his father's challenge. The next Sunday he produced his first hymn, with enthusiastic response from the congregation. For the next two years, he wrote new hymn texts every Sunday. He published a collection of 210 hymns, in a book entitled Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

Watts wrote some 600 hymns in his lifetime. He has rightly been called the "Father of English Hymnody." Some favorite hymns written by Watts include "Our God our Help in Ages Past," "When I survey the Wondrous Cross," and "I Sing the Mighty Power of God," among others.

Composer and Tune Writer Lowell Mason

Lowell Mason, an American choir director, composer, and educator, was thought to have rearranged a portion of German composer G.F. Handel's all-time favorite oratorio "Messiah," likely from phrases in the numbers "Comfort Ye" and "Life Up Your Heads," to fit the words of Watts' "Joy to the World." This adapted tune became known as the "Antioch" tune, and first appeared in Lowell Mason's Modern Psalmist in 1839. Various other tunes have been used on occasion with Isaac Watts' text, but "Antioch" has proven to be the most popular and lasting.

Lowell Mason composed the tune for popular hymns "Nearer my God to Thee," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "A Charge to Keep I have," "My Faith Looks Up to Thee," and arranged "O Day of Rest and Gladness."