RSS

Tag Archives: Psalms

Christmas Music, Part 2 – Joy To The World

Joy To The World

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King.

Isaac Watts wrote the words to “Joy to the World” in 1719, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The hymn originally glorified Christ’s triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a song celebrating His first coming. Only the second half of Watts’ lyrics are still used today.

The music was adapted and arranged to Watts’ lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel. The name “Antioch” is generally used for the hymn tune.

As of the late 20th century, “Joy to the World” was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.

2 Comments

Posted by MaryO on December 2, 2012 in Books of The Bible, Christmas Music, Music, Posts of Interest, The Holy Bible, Videos

Tags: Antioch, Bible, carol, carolers, Christmas, Feast of Tabernacles, God, Handel, hymn, Isaac Watts, Joy to the World, Lowell Mason, music, Psalm 98, Psalms, Savior

The Heavens are Telling

29 Nov

The opening verses of Psalm 19 present the heavenly bodies and their movement as a universal witness to the glory of God that is understood by people of every language. The language connects day and night as a continuous presentation. The words suggest energy, strength, joy, and light.

So many of the Psalms and scriptures have been made into wonderful works of classical music. Franz Joseph Haydn was one of these composers.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” ~ Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

A setting of ‘The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God’ from Haydn’s Creation.