Carol of the Bells

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"Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, which is based on the Ukrainian New Year's song "Shchedryk". The music for the carol comes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in or before 1916; the English-language lyrics were written in 1936 by American composer of Ukrainian origin Peter Wilhousky.<ref name="Origins">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The music is based on a four-note ostinato and is in [[3/4 time|Template:Music time]] signature, with the B-flat bell pealing in [[6/8 time|Template:Music time]]. The carol is metrically bistable<ref name="1. Introduction">Template:Cite journal</ref> (which means it is characterized by hemiola), with a listener being able to focus on either meter or switch between them. It has been adapted for musical genres that include classical, heavy metal, jazz, country music, rock, trap, and pop. The music has been featured in films and television shows.

Background

Origins

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File:Mykola leontovych.jpg
Composer Mykola Leontovych

The conductor of the Ukrainian Republic Capella, Oleksander Koshyts, commissioned Ukrainian composer Leontovych to create the song based on traditional Ukrainian folk songs/chants, and the resulting new work for choir, "Shchedryk", was based on four notes Leontovych found in the Ukrainian anthology.<ref name=Rice/>

The original Ukrainian folk story related to the song was associated with the coming New Year, which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was celebrated with the coming of spring in April. The original Ukrainian title translates to "the generous one",<ref name="Collins">Template:Cite book</ref> or is perhaps derived from the Ukrainian word for bountiful (Template:Transliteration),<ref name=Rice/> and tells a tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the bountiful year that the family will have.<ref name="7 beloved">Template:Cite news</ref>

With the introduction of Christianity to Ukraine, and the adoption of the Julian calendar, the celebration of the new year was moved from April to January, and the holiday with which the chant was originally associated became Malanka (Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration), the eve of the Julian new year (the night of 13-14 January in the Gregorian calendar). The songs sung for this celebration are known as Template:Transliteration.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The song was first performed by the Ukrainian students at Kyiv University in December 1916.<ref name="7 beloved"/> It was introduced to Western audiences by the Ukrainian National Chorus during its 1919 concert tour of Europe. The tour was organized as a way to generate support for the fledgling independent nation of Ukraine, which had declared its independence, but which the Bolshevik government in Moscow refused to recognize.<ref>Jim McDermott, "The story of ‘Carol of the Bells,’ a Christmas classic born in Ukraine", America, Nov. 17, 2022.</ref><ref>Lydia Tomkiw, "Toll of the Bells: The forgotten history of nationalism, oppression, and murder behind a Christmas classic", Slate, Dec. 19, 2019.</ref>

The song premiered in the United States on October 5, 1922,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall and the American audience fell in love with the Ukrainian song.<ref name=Rice>Template:Cite journal

Cited by

Template:Cite news</ref> The original work was intended to be sung a cappella by mixed four-voice choir.<ref name="7 beloved"/>

Two other settings of the composition were also created by Leontovych: one for the women's choir (unaccompanied), and another for the children's choir with piano accompaniment. These are rarely performed or recorded.Template:Whom

English lyrics versions

Wilhousky rearranged the melody for the orchestra with new lyrics for NBC radio network's symphony orchestra, centred around the theme of bells because the melody reminded him of handbells,<ref name="7 beloved" /> which begins "Hark! How the bells".<ref name="Crump" /> It was first aired during the Great Depression,<ref name="7 beloved" /> and Wilhousky secured copyright to the new lyrics in 1936 and also published the song, despite the song having been published almost two decades earlier in the Ukrainian National Republic.<ref name="Rice" /> Its initial popularity stemmed largely from Wilhousky's ability to reach a wide audience in his role as arranger for the NBC Symphony Orchestra. It is now strongly associated with Christmas because of its new lyrics, which reference bells, caroling, and the line "merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas".<ref name="Rice" />

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"Ring, Christmas Bells", an English-language variant featuring nativity-based lyrics, was written by Minna Louise Hohman in 1947.<ref>Nobbman, Dale V. (2000). Christmas Music Companion Fact Book: The Chronological History of Our Most Well-Known Traditional Christmas Hymns, Carols, Songs And the Writers & Composers Who Created Them. Centerstream Publishing: Anaheim Hills, CA. p. 91. Template:ISBN.</ref> Two other versions exist by anonymous writers: one from 1957 titled "Come Dance and Sing" and one from 1972 that begins "Hark to the bells".<ref name="Crump">Crump, William D. (2013). "Carol of the Bells" in The Christmas Encyclopedia. 3rd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers: Jefferson, NC. p. 62. Template:ISBN.</ref>

American recordings by various artists began to surface on the radio in the 1940s.<ref name="Rice" /> The song gained further popularity when an instrumental was featured in television advertisements for André champagne in the 1970s. "Carol of the Bells" has been recorded in over 150 versions and re-arrangements for varying vocal and instrumental compositions.<ref>Wytwycky, Wasyl (updated 2010). "Leontovych, Mykola". Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine. Retrieved December 23, 2015.</ref>

Notable recordings

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  • 2021: In their 2021-2022 album, The War to End All Wars, the Swedish metal band Sabaton included a segment from Carol Of The Bells in the intro and outro segment of their song single "Christmas Truce".
  • 2022: Composer Andrea Vanzo released a solo piano variation on the theme of "Carol of the Bells", as the debut single from his EP “Little Christmas Variations”.

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Charts

Pentatonix version

Chart (2013–2014) Peak
position
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 66

John Williams version

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Chart (2017–2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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34
Greece International (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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37
Latvia (LaIPA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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17
Lithuania (AGATA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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85
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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35
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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28
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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60
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 47

Mantikor version

Chart (2021) Peak
position
DE Deutsche Compilationcharts<ref>Official German Compilation Charts (December 3, 2021). "Chart Position #3, Week December 3, 2021 - December 9, 2021 ". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved December 04, 2021.</ref> 3

See also

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References

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