“Shchedryk”, колядка “Щедрик”, kolyadka, Ukrainian New Year’s song / Carol of the Bells
Source: https://youtu.be/mkGWxAW2vGc
Channel: Vesela Zdybanka

“The Little Swallow” Ukrainian folk song was arranged by composer Mykola Leontovich in 1916, and tells a story of a swallow flying into a household to sing of wealth that will come with the following spring. “Shchedryk” was adapted as an English Christmas carol, well-known “Carol of the Bells”, by Peter J. Wilhousky in 1936. “Carol of the Bells” and “Shchedryk” share the same melody /by composer Mykola Leontovich/ but these two songs have different lyrics.

“Bountiful evening, a New Year’s carol;

A little swallow flew into the household

and started to twitter, to summon the master:

“Come out, master, look at the sheep pen,

there the ewes have given birth and the lambkins have been born

Your goods are great, you will have a lot of money, by selling them.

If not money, then chaff from all the grain you will harvest

you have a dark-eyebrowed beautiful wife.”

Illustrated by VeselaZdybanka©

The Vienna Boys Choir-Carol Of The Bells

The Vienna Boys Choir-Carol Of The Bells
Source: https://youtu.be/LMkD-OSHPkM
Channel: MissAliceChristin

“Carol of the Bells” (also known as the “Ukrainian Bell Carol”) is a choral miniature work originally composed by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. Throughout the composition, Leontovych used a four note motif as an ostinato which was taken from an ancient pagan Ukrainian New Year’s chant known in Ukrainian as “Shchedryk” [the Generous One]. The composer created the piece as an assignment for a harmony course he was taking by correspondence in the use of an ostinato. The original work was intended to be sung a cappella by mixed choir. Two other variants of the composition; one for woman’s choir and another for children’s choir with piano accompaniment were also created by the composer.

The “Carol of the Bells” was premiered in December 1916 by a choral group made up of students at Kiev University. It was introduced to Western audiences by the Ukrainian National Chorus during its concert tour of Europe and the Americas, where it premiered in the United States on October 5, 1921 at Carnegie Hall.

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