Eighteen year old Isaac hated the worship service at his church. More to the point, he hated the music. He complained, a lot. “The music is too slow. The singing is off key. No one cares or tries to make it better.” One Sunday afternoon, having heard enough, his father issued a challenge. “Well then, young man, why don’t you do something about it?” So the next Sunday, the congregation sang a song that Isaac had written. It had modern-sounding lyrics, and the harmony and rhythm was like popular artists of the day. Isaac’s church loved it. They wanted more. For the next two years, they sang a new song that Isaac had written almost every Sunday.
Years later, in 1707, Isaac Watts would publish many of those songs in his first hymnal entitled, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Most musicologists consider this the first real hymnal in the English language. If you’ve been in church for very long, you’ve probably sung one of Isaac’s hymn texts; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, or perhaps, I Sing the Mighty Power of God. Or maybe you’ve sang one of his settings of a Psalm, like O God, Our Help in Ages Past (Psalm 90), or Jesus Shall Reign (Psalm 72).
This time of the year his paraphrase of Psalm 98 is very popular. You can hear it almost anywhere in the world right now. Read the psalm and see if you can figure it out.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together. Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm 98:4-9 KJV
Did you guess it? Isaac’s paraphrase starts like this-
Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King…
It was originally the second of a two-part work. The first part is long forgotten, along with the original melody. The melody we sing today was written by Lowell Mason and was probably an adaptation from parts of Handel's Messiah. I wonder how many artists have performed or recorded this song over the years. My favorite is probably John Rutter’s arrangement as recorded by the Cambridge Singers. A close second for me is the new arrangement by Chris Tomlin from his album, “Glory in the Highest.” Do you have a favorite?
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