Joy to the World

"Joy to the World" is sung everywhere at Christmas, yet it was never written about the Nativity. Isaac Watts based it on Psalm 98 in 1719 as a hymn about the triumphant return of Christ, and the tune most people know was stitched together from Handel more than a century later.

Origins

The lyrics were written by the English minister and poet Isaac Watts and first published in 1719 in his collection The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Rather than a traditional translation of the scriptures, Watts rewrote the text of the Old Testament Psalms to reflect Christian theology. "Joy to the World" is his poetic interpretation of the second part of Psalm 98, celebrating the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom on earth.

The Tune "Antioch"

For over a century, the hymn was sung to various tunes. The melody universally associated with it today was arranged in 1839 by the American composer Lowell Mason. Mason titled the tune "Antioch" and published it in his collection The Modern Psalmist. Mason adapted the melody using musical phrases from George Frideric Handel's famous 1741 oratorio Messiah. The opening scale and subsequent lines of the melody mirror the choruses "Comfort ye" and "Lift up your heads" from Handel's work.

Who composed the music for "Joy to the World"?

The melody used for the carol, titled "Antioch," was arranged by the American composer Lowell Mason in 1839. While Mason drew heavy inspiration from George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah, Handel himself did not compose the final arranged tune.

Is the hymn "Joy to the World" about the birth of Jesus?

Historically, Isaac Watts did not write the hymn to celebrate the Nativity. Instead, the lyrics focus on the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. However, its themes of joy, peace, and salvation fit naturally with the Christmas season, and it became a holiday standard in the nineteenth century.