Isaac Watts

author

Isaac Watts

1674–1748

Remembered as the father of English hymnody, this gifted minister and poet helped change congregational singing in the English-speaking world. His hymns, including "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past," have endured for centuries.

5 Audiobooks

Divine Songs

Divine Songs

by Isaac Watts

The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and Applied to the Christian State and Worship

The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and Applied to the Christian State and Worship

by Isaac Watts

Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Hymns and Spiritual Songs

by Isaac Watts

A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody Or, An Enquiry How the Psalms of David Ought to Be Translated into Christian Songs, and How Lawful and Necessary It Is to Compose Other Hymns According to the Clearer Revelations of the Gospel, for the Use of the Christian Church.

A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody Or, An Enquiry How the Psalms of David Ought to Be Translated into Christian Songs, and How Lawful and Necessary It Is to Compose Other Hymns According to the Clearer Revelations of the Gospel, for the Use of the Christian Church.

by Isaac Watts

The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, D. D. in nine volumes (volume 1 of 9)

The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, D. D. in nine volumes (volume 1 of 9)

by Isaac Watts

About the author

Born in Southampton on July 17, 1674, he grew up in a Nonconformist family and went on to become an English Congregational minister, theologian, and writer. He is widely credited with reshaping English hymn writing by moving beyond the older practice of singing only metrical psalms and creating hymns in a more direct, expressive style.

He was remarkably prolific, with roughly 750 hymns attributed to him. Among his best-known works are When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Our God, Our Help in Ages Past, and Joy to the World, and his collections Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) and The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament (1719) helped secure his lasting influence.

Beyond hymn writing, he also wrote on theology, education, and logic, showing the wide range of his interests. He died on November 25, 1748, but his writing continued to shape worship, devotion, and religious literature long after his lifetime.