"Genius" and "at his best ... unapproachable" are accolades not dispenses to everyone who has taken pen in hand. These lofty plaudits plus "the bard of Southampton" and "father of English hymnody" have been showered upon Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the author of "Joy to the World!" Only one other English-language hymn writer, Charles Wesley, the lyricist for "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," is seriously compared to Watts. If a choice had to be made as to which of these two great hymnists has made the larger historical contribution, the decision would probably go to Watts.
A nonconformist pastor and prodigious author of theological and philosophical books (about 60) and hymns (about 700), Watts is most remembered for the extraordinary hymns, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "Our God Our Help in Ages Past," and "Joy to the World!" The renowned nineteenth-century English author Matthew Arnold considered "When I Survey" to be the best hymn in the English language. "Our God" has been described as "England's second national anthem," and "Joy" ranks in the very top level of Christmas songs. First published in Watts' 1719 work, The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, "Joy" was a paraphrase of the second part of Psalm 98. Originally the opening line read "Joy to the earth," but eventually the better term "world" entirely supplanted "earth."
Over a century after Watts' carol lyrics first appeared, it was printed with a splendid, dynamic tune in an 1839 collection entitled The Modern Psalmist. The sole indication of authorship for the melody was the cryptic notation "from Handel." Because of this strange wording and some similarities between parts of the tune and parts of the Messiah, the superlative 1742 choral work by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), the melody has almost universally been attributed to the English music master. Yet the links to Handel are very weak and tenuous and scholars have basically refuted the hypothesis of Handelian authorship.
The probable composer of the tune for "Joy" was Lowell Mason (1792-1872) a prominent American music educator, music editor, and hymn writer. In Mason's background there are three elements that tend to support the suspicion that he was responsible for the melody. First, he was deeply immersed in the music of such classical composers as Handel, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and readily commuted between their domain and his own creativity. Second, Mason had a decided tendency toward anonymity and many of his own compositions were unsigned. Supposedly, he was the "arranger" of the 1824 tune which is commonly used with another of Watts' hymns, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," but various factors very strongly tempt one to believe that Mason actually composed the 1824 melody. Third, Mason was a hymn tune composer of some accomplishment. On top of the strong possibility that he produced the tune for "When I Survey", he is definitely credited with the composition of the good tunes for "My Faith Looks Up to Thee" and "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Add to these three characteristics the fact that Mason was the editor of the 1839 collection in which the tune for "Joy" first appeared, and a fairly convincing case for Mason can be assembled. Apparently, Mason was influenced by Handel during the creation of the melody, and quite possibly was sincerely unsure where the dividing line between Handel and himself really was. Hence the misleading notation in the 1839 collection involved, following perhaps predictably by the folklore concerning Handel. (To compound the confusion, recent research has indicated that Mason was not only under the influence of Handel, but may also have "borrowed" the tune from yet another source.)
In spite of the uncertainty about the tune's origins, there is no doubt that the carol synthesized by the joint talents of the father of English hymnody and the father of American hymnologic anonymity has few peers in quality or international popularity. Both words and music, carried along by extremely esthetic conveyances of term and tone, joyfully proclaim the birth of Jesus. Of all the sacred carols, "Joy" is perhaps the most positive and uplifting declaration of the message of Christmas. The exclamation point almost universally inserted by carol editors after the initial line, "Joy to the world!," powerfully punctuates the exhilarating effect that this carol has had for the past century and a half.
Read the full article at - http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/joy_to_the_world-1.htm
A nonconformist pastor and prodigious author of theological and philosophical books (about 60) and hymns (about 700), Watts is most remembered for the extraordinary hymns, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "Our God Our Help in Ages Past," and "Joy to the World!" The renowned nineteenth-century English author Matthew Arnold considered "When I Survey" to be the best hymn in the English language. "Our God" has been described as "England's second national anthem," and "Joy" ranks in the very top level of Christmas songs. First published in Watts' 1719 work, The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, "Joy" was a paraphrase of the second part of Psalm 98. Originally the opening line read "Joy to the earth," but eventually the better term "world" entirely supplanted "earth."
Over a century after Watts' carol lyrics first appeared, it was printed with a splendid, dynamic tune in an 1839 collection entitled The Modern Psalmist. The sole indication of authorship for the melody was the cryptic notation "from Handel." Because of this strange wording and some similarities between parts of the tune and parts of the Messiah, the superlative 1742 choral work by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), the melody has almost universally been attributed to the English music master. Yet the links to Handel are very weak and tenuous and scholars have basically refuted the hypothesis of Handelian authorship.
The probable composer of the tune for "Joy" was Lowell Mason (1792-1872) a prominent American music educator, music editor, and hymn writer. In Mason's background there are three elements that tend to support the suspicion that he was responsible for the melody. First, he was deeply immersed in the music of such classical composers as Handel, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and readily commuted between their domain and his own creativity. Second, Mason had a decided tendency toward anonymity and many of his own compositions were unsigned. Supposedly, he was the "arranger" of the 1824 tune which is commonly used with another of Watts' hymns, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," but various factors very strongly tempt one to believe that Mason actually composed the 1824 melody. Third, Mason was a hymn tune composer of some accomplishment. On top of the strong possibility that he produced the tune for "When I Survey", he is definitely credited with the composition of the good tunes for "My Faith Looks Up to Thee" and "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Add to these three characteristics the fact that Mason was the editor of the 1839 collection in which the tune for "Joy" first appeared, and a fairly convincing case for Mason can be assembled. Apparently, Mason was influenced by Handel during the creation of the melody, and quite possibly was sincerely unsure where the dividing line between Handel and himself really was. Hence the misleading notation in the 1839 collection involved, following perhaps predictably by the folklore concerning Handel. (To compound the confusion, recent research has indicated that Mason was not only under the influence of Handel, but may also have "borrowed" the tune from yet another source.)
In spite of the uncertainty about the tune's origins, there is no doubt that the carol synthesized by the joint talents of the father of English hymnody and the father of American hymnologic anonymity has few peers in quality or international popularity. Both words and music, carried along by extremely esthetic conveyances of term and tone, joyfully proclaim the birth of Jesus. Of all the sacred carols, "Joy" is perhaps the most positive and uplifting declaration of the message of Christmas. The exclamation point almost universally inserted by carol editors after the initial line, "Joy to the world!," powerfully punctuates the exhilarating effect that this carol has had for the past century and a half.
Read the full article at - http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/joy_to_the_world-1.htm
