Psalms of David

Reverend Isaac Watts, an English Nonconformist minister in the late 17th and early 18th century, has long held the title as “Father of Hymnody.” His desire to fill people with passion for the songs that they sang led him to write some 600 hymns, many of which are still being sung today. Hymns composed from the heart marked a departure from the tradition of congregational psalm singing, a tradition initiated by John Calvin's avowal to scriptural song. Hymns had a tremendous influence on African American spirituals, especially those during the "Great Awakening," a religious revival of the 1730's .