We end the First Round with a matchup between two musicians, Isaac Watts and Catherine Winkworth. Naturally, we're calling this the Battle of the Bands. Watts was a prolific Anglican hymn writer whose greatest hits catalogue would be well known to church goers. Winkworth, also a Brit, is credited with bringing the German chorale tradition to the English-speaking world.
Yesterday, Martin de Porres trounced John of Beverley 84% to 16% and will face Dymphna in the next round.
It's hard to believe, but the Saintly Sixteen begins tomorrow! Vote today and stay tuned. Our Lenten journey continues...
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts, famously thought of as the father of English hymnody, was born in Southampton, England, on July 17, 1674. Whereas many English people were members of the Church of England, Isaac’s identity as a Nonconformist shaped his vocation and ministry. He received a classical education in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and demonstrated a proclivity to rhyme at an early age. As he grew older and progressed in his studies, he was offered a scholarship to study at Oxford or Cambridge as a candidate for ordination in the Church of England. He refused this opportunity and chose to study at the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington. He was ordained as a Nonconformist minister in 1702 and served a congregation in London for ten years.
Isaac is credited with writing between 600 and 750 hymns, a quarter of which are still in popular use. Many of his hymns were metrical adaptations of the psalms for use in English-speaking congregations. His hymn-writing was said to flow from his own personal faith, described as “gentle, quiet, sturdy, and deeply devout.” The Hymnal 1982 contains seventeen of Isaac’s hymns including “Joy to the world,” “From all that dwell below the skies,” and “When I survey the wondrous cross.”
In addition to hymns, Isaac wrote a textbook called Logic. The full name of the book likely did not fit on the cover: Logic, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as well as in the Sciences. The book defined logic as a practical art and became a standard text in universities and among philosophers.
Isaac spent the last few decades of his life largely out of the public eye because of health complications. He continued writing sermons and hymns as well as writing on less religious topics such as the English language and logic. He died in 1748.
Collect for Isaac Watts
God of truth and grace, you gave Isaac Watts singular gifts to present your praise in verse, that he might write psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your Church: Give us grace joyfully to sing your praises now and in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Catherine Winkworth
Born in 1827, Catherine Winkworth had a way with words. When Catherine was a sixteen-year-old British school girl, General Charles James Napier conquered the Indian province of Sindh. The conquest was unauthorized and brutal. When Catherine heard about it, she told her teacher that Napier’s dispatch should have read “Peccavi,” Latin for “I have sinned.” It was a dark twist on what the dispatch presumably was,“I have Sindh.”
The pun was sent to the humor magazine, Punch, and became a meme that traveled through history.
Catherine’s cleverness continued to serve her well in her calling. She translated hundreds of German hymns into English and introduced English audiences to the German chorale tradition. She labored to make sure that the translated songs retained the poetry, rhythm, and meaning of the originals.
In 1852, Catherine began to work among the poor in the Sunday School and District Visiting Society. This society gathered volunteer teams to visit poor people in their homes to provide help and comfort. Long after she left this work, Catherine received letters from the people she met and helped. Her compassion was evident in her translation of biographies of founders of sisterhoods for the poor and sick: Life of Pastor Fliedner and Life of Amelia Sieveking. Winkworth not only served people who lived in poverty, but she also had a passion for women’s rights and advocated for higher education for women and girls.
In 1878, Catherine went to care for her nephew, who was disabled. Soon after, she had a pain in her heart and died within an hour.
Collect for Catherine Winkworth
Comfort your people, O God of peace, and prepare a way for us in the desert, that, like your poet and translator Catherine Winkworth, we may preserve the spiritual treasures of your saints of former years and sing our thanks to you with hearts and hands and voices, eternal triune God whom earth and heaven adore; for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
[poll id="220"]
202 comments on “Isaac Watts vs. Catherine Winkworth”
This one was so very easy for me -- hands down for Isaac Watts. I already knew him as possibly the second greatest hymn writer in Christian history (after Charles Wesley, of course). But I didn't know that he refused scholarships and ordination in the Church of England as a "non-conformist" or that he was one the major proponents of the need to include logic and reason in one's approach to faith. As someone today who both refuses ever to let institutional religion dictate proper thought to me and believes that "reason" is perhaps the most important leg in Anglicanism's "three-legged stool" or Methodism's "Wesleyan quadrilateral," Isaac Watts may be my new personal patron saint. If he makes it through today's voting, he will probably get my vote through all remaining rounds of this year's Lent Madness.
Wow, this is closer than I thought. 55/45. I tossed around another of the #MeToo candidates, but remembered that Watts texts are the standard by which we ordain Christmas.
"Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing."
So, it's Isaac for me.
This was a no-brainer: Catharine gets my vote. Now if Ralph Vaughan Williams had been holding down the opposition, the vote would have had to go for him. Take a look at the 1940 Hymnal. Some of us still use it today.
Love them both, but it has to be Catherine since I can't imagine life without the German chorales!
I voted for Watts because his own personal faith (was) described as “gentle, quiet, sturdy, and deeply devout.”
I agree wholeheartedly. I voted for Isaac Watts. "Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing" is angelic.
Me too!
Though I love Watts' hymns, I had to go with Winkworth, who translated many hymns that I grew up singing in the Lutheran church. And I can't resist a good Latin pun.
Catherine and her passion for education for girls, her cleverness with words and her gift to us of music!
To have such an impact on Church music at large, to write hymns that live on in the hearts and voices of so many, and to write words that live on through the education of theologians and philosophers I had to go with Isaac Watts. Catherine Winkworth's translations and other ministry and social services are very strong but, for me, she was just barely edged out this time.
I went with Catherine. For one, "Catherine" is the name of one of my beloved sisters. And, for another, I always lean toward those holy men and women who use their intellectual, spiritual, and musical gifts to glorify God, AND follow Christ's example by going out into the world and loving their less fortunate neighbors.
Plus, in speaking truth to power, Catherine conjured up a wicked pun. Not many can and will do that.
But, I do love "Joy to the World," and deeply honor Isaac Watts, its writer. I hope I get a chance to vote for him in a future Lent Madness contest.
Glad Catherine won! Her great compassion & care for the poor & sick made her deserve to win!
Aw, shoot. I voted, but have mentally changed my vote 3, maybe 4 times. Thumbs up for long and rambling titles, thumbs up for a good pun, both have great hymns, yea for being a non-conformist and for serving the poor. I grew up Lutheran and those hymns pulled me just enough to secure my vote, but I shall continue to waver.
What? Not Watts? One of the greats of hymn writing! While Catherine made a strong contribution in that area , the Weight is with Watts.
I love seeing Catherine’s name whenever it appears on a hymn we’re singing! She shows that there are so many possible missions and ministries.
I thought that anyone who gave us Joy to the World would be a shoo-in to win. It was Catherine's intelligence and her work with the poor and others that brought me to vote for her.
As the author of some of my favorite hymns I had to vote for Isaac Watts. The words of the hymns that we sing are so powerful and I find that they really enhance my understanding of God's Word. The hymns are not just a pretty tune, the words themselves could stand alone as poetry.
I’m trying to figure out how to ask a question—no luck so far!
Is there any place where I can see the winners so far? I missed a couple of days, and I can’t find the results anywhere. I tried asking in a comment before, but I didn’t get a reply that I can find.
Thank you,
Grace Cangialosi
If you're looking on a phone it might be different, but at the top of my computer screen are a number of tabs. The tab labeled Bracket 2018 has all the results to date.
And I have a question — when I view the vole results, one of the candidates is in bold print, one is not. Normally I'd expect that the one leading at the time would be in bold. That ain't necessarily so. What does the bold indicate?
As I understand it, the one in bold type is the one you voted for.
Oh. Well isn't that clever. Thank you so much!
So this was a very tough decision, but since today is International Women's Day, I voted for Catherine.
This was a tough one. I like both candidates. Reason tells me I should vote for Issac. Logic says to think more about it. I go with passion which said, "Catherine all the way."
Not fair! A contest between two roughly equally prominent hymnodists, one an author and the other a translator. I'm going with the one who made puns (or at least one). And some of her translations of the German are among my favorite hymns.
Isaac Watts for me. Oh God our Help in Ages Past was my mantra when our daughter was dying of cancer. It gave me comfort even though the battle was lost.
I am very sorry for your loss. May you be comforted.
Thank you
Blessings.
Reading today's comments has been so wonderful as we in NJ languish in snow and thunder and all sorts of weather things. Each time someone has mentioned a favorite hymn or six, I've had the joy of playing and replaying them in my head until the next round of shout-outs comes up. It's been GRAND!
Once again, a match-up that might have "gone the distance" had the brackets been arranged differently. Mr. Watts vs Ms. Winkworth would have been an epic final battle.
Winkworth for her admirable wit!
Tough choice! Love Isaac Watts' hymns, also the German chorale. Blessings on both the contestants! I picked Catherine--both for her life of service and because it's my mother's name.
One of the activities my husband and I share with delight is the making and speaking of puns. Both of us devoutly believe that those who criticize us for making puns are just angry and jealous because they haven't the wit to make them! So Catherine Winkworth had me immediately with her bilingual pun of protest. I have enjoyed singing her translated hymns all my Methodist life. Her work with the poor and advocacy of education and rights for women further convinced me to vote for her.
The work of making saintly puns
is a service undervalued and never done
like washing pans
putting peaches in cans
humor means of the worst sinners, you’re nun.
(none)
Thank you! Now I have a question for you. If you were stranded on an island, and you were limited to one musical composition,
would you choose Handel's Messiah or Bach's B Minor Mass? Or, neither of the above....
This is fun just to sit back and watch!
putting peaches in cans is certainly a saintly work and then the eating thereof is heavenly reward
My appreciation of both these saints has grown. Thanks to all!
Yes, a tough one: what would the hymnal be without either of these. But reading the comments I realized we used Lutheran chorales for both the processional and recessional of our wedding ("Deck thyself, my soul with gladness" and "Now thank we all our God"), and I'm a choral singer, so, Bach and all that. So today, Catherine it shall be. Not to mention her work with the poor.
Isaac Watts wrote so many wonderful hymns, but I must vote for Catherine Winkworth. As an English speaking Lutheran, I've been greatly blessed by her beautiful translations of the rich German Lutheran hymnody. She has long been one of my heroes.