Joy To The World Sheet Music And Lesson

Joy to the World is a favorite Christmas hymn worldwide with its rousing words by Isaac Watts and one of my favorites. It may have been inspired by G F Handel's Messiah but the melody of Joy to the World was not actually composed by Handel. Its origins are surrounded in mystery and its earliest version appears in English hymnbooks of the 1830s.

On this page you will find free sheet music and resources to play this beautiful traditional Christmas carol.

Image Haekel Trochilidae from Wikipedia under free Creative Commons license.

And why does it sound so joyful?

Joy to the World has a bright and cheery melody and certainly the downward movement of the notes of the tune calls to mind a joyful peel of bells! The musician William Holford revised a tune he called Comfort, published it, and attributed it to Handel as it was similar to the Messiah choruses Lift Up Your Heads and Glory to God.

Holford may have been the original composer of Joy To The World, or it may be an anonymous melody. An American composer called Lowell Mason (1792-1872) changed the tune-name to Antioch in 1839, and united it with Isaac Watt's hymn lyrics for the first time. The attribution to Handel was retained and Handel's Joy to the World was born! Many composers and arrangers have been moved to arrange Joy To The World or use it as a theme for more inventive compositions. It is just that sort of rousing tune! I have done a guitar ensemble arrangement of Joy to the World myself.

The Famous Hymn by Isaac Watts

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, 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.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

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.

Free sheet Music for Joy To The World

Originally given as links (which is not allowed on this platform) all of these score can be easily found by copying the title and score number (or the description below) and pasting into Google search. You can then see the music on Score Exchange (which is a safe site) and listen, download and print it out.

• Joy to the World - for Low Brass Quartet (105460)

  Joy to the World - for Low Brass Quartet - Brass quartet by trad. arranged by Martin Staub

• Postlude on Joy To the World (102200)

  Postlude on Joy To the World - Solo instruments (Organ [manuals]) by trad. arranged Martin Staub

• Joy to the World (21906)

  Joy to the World - Quartet (Alto Saxophone) by trad. arranged by Jason Kendall

• Joy to the world! (53281)

  Joy to the world! - Voice + keyboard by G.F. Handel arranged by Amanda Wilson

• Joy to the World (church orchestra version) (30979)

  Joy to the World (church orchestra version) - Orchestra by G. F. Handel arranged by David G. Barton

• Joy to the world (7394)

  Joy to the world - Orchestra by anon. arranged Peter Foster

• Joy to the World (69894)

  Joy to the World - Duet (Euphonium in Bb [bass clef]) by G. F. Handel arranged by Martin Staub

• Joy to the world by Handel for Choir SSAA (71351)

  Joy to the world by Handel for Choir SSAA - Choir by George Frideric Handel arranged by Erwin Hurni

• Joy To The World (SATB) (43069)

  Joy To The World (SATB) - Choir by Lowell Mason arranged by Russell Woodford

• Liturgical Guitarist: Joy to the World (29950)

  Liturgical Guitarist: Joy to the World - Solo instruments (Acoustic Guitar [notation]) by George F. Handel arranged by Jim Nailon

At the time of writing, these scores are all free, though the arrangers may possibly charge a fee at some time in the future.

Arrangements of well loved Carols for flexible sized guitar ensembles, these are full scores, not separate parts. Parts can be purchased from Score Exchange.

Contents:

Silent Night, Ding Dong Merrily On High, Joy to the World, The Seven Joys of Mary, We Three kings of Orient Are, See Amid the Winter’s Snow, Noel Nouvelet, Coventry Carol