JOY TO THE WORLD

Music: Lowell Mason
Text: Isaac Watts
Arrangement: Michael Davis

The prolific 18th-century hymnwriter Isaac Watts initially penned the lyrics for “Joy to the World” as a rhyming paraphrase of Psalm 98, and his poem was first published in 1719. It became a Christmas classic when it was set to music by Lowell Mason, the “father of American hymnody,” in 1836. Mason, who wrote musical settings for more than 1,600 hymns, occasionally gave credit to other composers for tunes he had written himself; he described the music of “Joy to the World” as being “after G. F. Handel.” While there are some fleeting similarities to fragments from Handel’s beloved oratorio Messiah, Mason almost certainly crafted this joyous, fanfare-like musical setting himself. 

The new arrangement of “Joy to the World” heard at this Christmas concert is by Michael Davis, formerly Chief of Music Production for the United States Air Force Band, and a regular collaborator with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.