Mykola Leontovich : Shchedryk

“Shchedryk, Shchedryk” is a popular Christmas carol composed by Mykola Leontovych. The song is based on a Ukrainian folk song called “Shchedryk.” The versions titled “Carol of the Bells” with English lyrics by Wilhousky are protected by copyright, unlike the original musical composition. The song is recognizable by its four-note ostinato motif. It has been arranged numerous times for various genres, vocal styles, and musical contexts, and covered by artists and groups from all genres: classical, metal, jazz, rock, and pop. It also appears in films, television series, and parodies.

This song is based on a traditional folk song. It was associated with New Year’s, which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was originally celebrated with the arrival of spring in April. (This explains why the original Ukrainian lyrics mention the return of a swallow and the birth of lambs.) With the introduction of Christianity in Ukraine and the adoption of the Julian calendar, the New Year celebration was moved from April to January, and the holiday with which the song was originally associated became Epiphany (also known in Ukrainian as Shchedry vechir). The songs performed for this celebration are called Schedrivky.
The original Ukrainian text tells the story of a swallow that flies into a house to herald a bountiful and prosperous year ahead for the family. The title is derived from the Ukrainian word meaning “abundant.” However, the time of year when animals are born and swallows return to Ukraine does not correspond to the winter season in the current calendar. In Ukraine, the song is currently performed on the eve of the Julian New Year. It was introduced to Western audiences by the Ukrainian National Choir during its concert tour of Europe and America, where it premiered in the United States on October 5, 1921, at Carnegie Hall.

An English text titled “Carol of the Bells,” protected by copyright, was created by Peter Wilhousky in the 1930s, and since then, it has been performed and sung during the Christmas season. Its initial popularity stemmed largely from Wilhousky’s ability to have it performed before a wide audience as an arranger for the NBC Symphony Orchestra, formed specifically for Arturo Toscanini. The song subsequently gained popularity through its use in television commercials for champagne. Another English version (“Ring, Christmas Bells”), with lyrics more inspired by the Nativity, written by Minna Louise Hohman in 1947, is also widely known.

Leontovych originally composed this piece as an exercise for a correspondence course in harmony, to demonstrate the use of an ostinato, a four-note motif. The ostinato motif—a repetition of four notes within a minor third interval—is said to have prehistoric origins: a New Year’s song known in Ukrainian as “Shchedryk.” The original traditional Ukrainian text employed a rhythmic technique called hemiola (alternating accents within each measure, shifting from 3/4 to 6/8 and back) . However, this technique is absent from English translations and is rarely used in non-Ukrainian or instrumental performances.

The original work was intended to be sung a cappella by a four-part mixed choir. Leontovych also composed two other versions of the piece: one for women’s choir (a cappella) and the other for children’s choir with piano accompaniment.