The Untold Story of Carol of the Bells and Its Ukrainian Roots

Every December the four-note pattern of Carol of the Bells fills shopping centres, films and concert halls around the world. Far fewer listeners know that the melody comes from Ukraine, where it was sung long before it ever became associated with Christmas bells.

From shchedrivka to global hit

The original song, Shchedryk, belongs to a genre of Ukrainian folk songs called shchedrivky, traditionally sung around the New Year. In its lyrics a swallow flies into a household and promises the family a bountiful year ahead. The composer Mykola Leontovych transformed this simple folk tune into a choral arrangement in the early twentieth century.

Key moments in the song's journey include:

• Leontovych's arrangement being performed in Kyiv in the 1910s;
• the Ukrainian National Chorus, led by Oleksandr Koshyts, taking it on tour across Europe and the Americas in the early 1920s;
• a celebrated performance at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1922;
• the American composer Peter Wilhousky writing the English lyrics of Carol of the Bells in the 1930s.

Leontovych himself did not live to see the worldwide success of his work; he died in 1921. Today, Shchedryk is often cited as an example of how Ukrainian culture travelled abroad and became part of global popular culture.

The melody's short repeating motif is part of what makes it so memorable. Built on just four notes, it imitates the urgent, joyful chirping of the swallow in the original lyrics, a detail that many listeners of the English version never notice.

What to expect from the video

The video is titled The Untold Story of Carol of the Bells and is published by Ukrainer in English, the English-language channel of Ukraїner, a media project known for documenting Ukrainian regions, communities and culture. Viewers can expect a storytelling approach that traces the melody back to its Ukrainian roots.

It is a perfect watch for the holiday season, for music teachers, choir members and anyone who has hummed the tune without knowing its origins. After watching, many viewers find themselves listening to the familiar carol with entirely new ears.

Video: Ukrainer in English / YouTube