time when this fine old traditional hymn seemed quite revolutionary—and it isn’t even about Christmas!
Isaac Watts, a Plymouth Nonconformist, was known as the father of English hymnody both for the quality of the hymns he wrote and because he led the way in penning “original songs of Christian experience.” Previously, songs of worship had consisted largely of the Psalms and biblical verses set to music. Watts acknowledges Psalm 98 as his inspiration, but the words are mostly his own.
The hymn was sung for a hundred years before it found “Antioch,” the tune we know it by today. The words of England’s premier hymn writer inspired one of America’s foremost composers of hymn music, Lowell Mason (who may also have supplied the music for another of Watts’s hymns, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”).
In 1839 Mason published the first printed collection to feature “Joy to the World” and included a note saying the music was “from Handel.” By this he may have meant he “borrowed” a few sections from Handel’s
Messiah—but
the public at large came to believe Handel had composed the entire piece.
“Joy to the world! the Lord is come” could easily be taken as a reference to the Nativity, but there is no manger, no Mary, no wise men.
No—Watts had in mind a greater day. His hymn is about Christ coming back to claim this world as His own. In other words, it is about the
Second
Coming, when even the hills and valleys will be purified. The land will be freed from the curse placed on it after Adam’s fall from grace. People will sing and rejoice under the Lord’s reign, but the celebration won’t be confined to humankind. His joy will be for the whole world—rocks and all!
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him
.
R EVELATION 22:3
The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
And they say that His name is Jesus
.
The Calypso Carol Singers
T he virgin birth is a major tenet of the Christian faith, so when French and Spanish settlers sailed for the New World, they took with them this first major indicator of Christ’s divinity.
Landing in the West Indies, they began to spread the word. A few of the more enlightened missionaries tapped into the rich musical traditions they found and adapted them as an effective way of teaching the Gospel, which may be why “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” has a calypso lilt to it.
A very simple retelling of the Nativity, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” relies heavily on rhythm and repetition. It can be picked up very quickly and sung by any kind of voice. Its regular beat makes it an ideal accompaniment to the monotony of a hard day’s work.
From the work of those early missionaries there grew a tradition of
parang
, almost a West Indian version of carol singing. The
parrandero
would go from house to house singing praise songs, many of which they had learned working on plantations.
Edric Connor, a Trinidadian, took this song and others to London, where he carved out a career for himself as an actor and calypso singer. He put “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” into print, for possibly the first time, in 1945.
The great Harry Belafonte, sometimes known as “the king of Calypso,” recorded the song in 1958 and introduced it to the American audience.
Whether being sung in a field under a hot sun or in the more organized setting of a formal choir, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” has a distinct advantage over other songs in that it can easily be repeated with no lack of joy until everyone has had the chance to sing. Which is, after all, what the Virgin’s Baby Boy was all about. He wasn’t for an elite few—He was a gift for everyone!
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her
.
L UKE 1:38
We Three
Isaac Watts, a Plymouth Nonconformist, was known as the father of English hymnody both for the quality of the hymns he wrote and because he led the way in penning “original songs of Christian experience.” Previously, songs of worship had consisted largely of the Psalms and biblical verses set to music. Watts acknowledges Psalm 98 as his inspiration, but the words are mostly his own.
The hymn was sung for a hundred years before it found “Antioch,” the tune we know it by today. The words of England’s premier hymn writer inspired one of America’s foremost composers of hymn music, Lowell Mason (who may also have supplied the music for another of Watts’s hymns, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”).
In 1839 Mason published the first printed collection to feature “Joy to the World” and included a note saying the music was “from Handel.” By this he may have meant he “borrowed” a few sections from Handel’s
Messiah—but
the public at large came to believe Handel had composed the entire piece.
“Joy to the world! the Lord is come” could easily be taken as a reference to the Nativity, but there is no manger, no Mary, no wise men.
No—Watts had in mind a greater day. His hymn is about Christ coming back to claim this world as His own. In other words, it is about the
Second
Coming, when even the hills and valleys will be purified. The land will be freed from the curse placed on it after Adam’s fall from grace. People will sing and rejoice under the Lord’s reign, but the celebration won’t be confined to humankind. His joy will be for the whole world—rocks and all!
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him
.
R EVELATION 22:3
The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
,
And they say that His name is Jesus
.
The Calypso Carol Singers
T he virgin birth is a major tenet of the Christian faith, so when French and Spanish settlers sailed for the New World, they took with them this first major indicator of Christ’s divinity.
Landing in the West Indies, they began to spread the word. A few of the more enlightened missionaries tapped into the rich musical traditions they found and adapted them as an effective way of teaching the Gospel, which may be why “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” has a calypso lilt to it.
A very simple retelling of the Nativity, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” relies heavily on rhythm and repetition. It can be picked up very quickly and sung by any kind of voice. Its regular beat makes it an ideal accompaniment to the monotony of a hard day’s work.
From the work of those early missionaries there grew a tradition of
parang
, almost a West Indian version of carol singing. The
parrandero
would go from house to house singing praise songs, many of which they had learned working on plantations.
Edric Connor, a Trinidadian, took this song and others to London, where he carved out a career for himself as an actor and calypso singer. He put “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” into print, for possibly the first time, in 1945.
The great Harry Belafonte, sometimes known as “the king of Calypso,” recorded the song in 1958 and introduced it to the American audience.
Whether being sung in a field under a hot sun or in the more organized setting of a formal choir, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” has a distinct advantage over other songs in that it can easily be repeated with no lack of joy until everyone has had the chance to sing. Which is, after all, what the Virgin’s Baby Boy was all about. He wasn’t for an elite few—He was a gift for everyone!
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her
.
L UKE 1:38
We Three
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