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Folk Music Site
Chris Curtis
BellaOnline's Folk Music Editor
Joy to the World History and Lyrics

Quote: [[Joy to the World was taken straight from the Bible by Isaac Watts in 1719. The music was added by American Lowell Mason in 1822. Handel was not involved!

Joy to the world! The Lord has come:
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns:
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love.]]

Curtis then provides a link to an "MP3 for Joy to the World (that incorrectly claims Handel as the author)"

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From:    Novareinna

Quote: [["Joy To The World" was composed by the great English hymn writer, Isaac Watts.
It is based on the Ninety-Eighth Psalm and its words reflect the missionary spirit of
the early 1700s.   Lowell Mason arranged the lyrics to music taken from several
choruses of the "Messiah" by Handel.]]

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A Classical Christmas: The Classical Origins of Our Most Cherished Carols

excerpt

Excerpt: [[...
Music historians have recently discovered an embarrassing credit error.   Cleric Isaac Watts published "Psalms of David," based on Psalm 98 of the "Old Testament," in 1719.   In 1839 American composer Lowell Mason decided to set Watts' translations to music and "Joy to the World" was born.

The confusion came from Mason's modest footnote, "From George Frederick Handel," which was said to be a tribute to the late composer.   A misunderstanding was soon accepted as truth and for 100 years Handel was given credit for writing the music to "Joy to the World!"
...]]

In an article in today's San Diego Union-Tribune (a Christmas trivia quiz titled: "Use Your [Egg] Noggin"), we have the question:
"Isaac Watts originally titled this piece of music 'The Messiah's Coming And Kingdom.' What do we know it by?"   (Ans: "Joy to The World")

Note the implication that Watts originally composed the music, not just wrote (adapted) the lyrics.

Is there any definitive account of how "Joy To the World" came to be written, by whom, and when?