The18th-century hymn writer 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 ...

Isaac Watts’s 1719 paraphrase of Psalm 98 became a Christmas classic when it was ... and described the music of “Joy to the World” as being “after G. F. Handel.” While there are fleeting ...