CAROL of the Bells is certainly one of a ‘must-play’ Christmas songs, enjoyed all over the world. But when it comes to its beginnings, not many people know that it is, in fact, a Ukrainian folk song originally called Shchedryk and performed by children during the winter festive season.
Shchedryk has been a part of Ukrainian folklore for centuries. It came to the attention of Mykola Leontovych, a Ukrainian composer, who had been working on collecting, recording and editing folk songs for many years. Leontovych released his final fifth edition of Shchedryk in 1919 that brought him a worldwide fame. Within 1919-1921 Shchedryk was performed by the Ukrainian Choir in 45 cities across 10 European countries.
However, in 1921 soon after Ukraine was ravished by the Bolshevik Russia, the Soviet authorities launched a purge, trying to get rid of the Ukrainian national intelligentsia. Mykola Leontovych was among those, targeted and killed by the ruthless VChK (predecessor of KGB) at his parents’ house in Vinnytsia region in January 1921.
Fearing for their lives, a lot of writers, scientists and artists had to hurriedly leave the country. Most of the Ukrainian Choir members never returned after their tour in Europe, migrating to the US, where they later joined Alexander Koshyts, a famous American conductor of Ukrainian origin.
In 1922, Shchedryk was performed by the Alexander Koshyts’ Choir in New York, and began its journey around the world. It was translated and adapted into many languages.
In 1936, the American composer of Ukrainian origin Petr Vilgovskiy presented an English version of the song – Carol of the Bells. These lyrics are known around the world. The song became a true musical symbol of Christmas and a soundtrack for hundreds of movies and TV shows. Today there are more than 1,000 versions and remakes of Shchedryk.
The original lyrics date back to the pre-Christian era, reflecting ancient Ukrainian culture. In those days people celebrated the New Year in spring, when the swallows returned home after the long winter. People were blessing one another for a good harvest and prosperity by singing various ritual songs. One of these songs was Shchedryk, a simple 4-note melody, which featured a swallow bird as its main character.
Nowadays Shchedryk as well as other similar carols are performed during the celebration of Malanka and St Vasyl Day (January 13 and 14), as part of winter festive celebrations. These carols are called shchedrivky, after the folk name of Shchedryi Vechir (Abundance Evening). Each song contains wishes of prosperity for the household and wellbeing for the family.
This year marks the centennial anniversary since Shchedryk – a simple folk song turned by Mykola Leontovych into a true world music masterpiece – premiered to astounding success at Carnegie Hall in New York City. – The Vibes, January 14, 2022
