1782. Part One of Seven. With the life of the author. A volume of the works of Isaac Watts who is universally acknowledged as The Father of English Hymnody. He has earned the title, not because he was first to write English hymns, but because he gave impetus to hymnody and established its place in the worship of the English church. He penned the Joy to the World, the most joyous of the carols, but Watts never intended it to be a Christmas carol. Rather, it was a part of his Psalms of David Imitated, published in 1719, which contained paraphrases of many of the Psalms in New Testament language. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
