The well-known Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells,”- more than this lyrics you have hummed ‘merry merry merry Christmas’ many times during the season of Christmas -has quite a remarkable history. It is hard to believe that a Christmas carol with such a joyous tone originated more than a century ago. And also can cause astonishment that it was composed in Ukraine during a time of turmoil so reminiscent of today.
“Carol of the Bells” is celebrating the 100th anniversary this year of its premiere in the United States. When it was composed at first, it was not a Christmas carol, but a festive New Year song taken from Ukrainian folk tradition.
At that 1922 debut, it had its original Ukrainian title — “Shchedryk” — meaning “generous evening.” The musical foundation was transformed into a Carol in 1936.
The song was composed in 1914 by one of Ukraine’s major composers, Mykola Leontovych. The melody of traditional folk songs is taken as its base rhythm. It was originally commissioned for the Ukrainian Republic Choir by its choir director for a Christmas concert. It was an immediate hit in Ukraine.
Then, just as Ukraine was getting its feet on the ground after World War I, the year 1917 saw the overthrow of the Russian tsar in the Bolshevik revolution. The Soviets refused to recognize Ukraine as a country and invaded, occupying Kharkiv in early 1919.
To open the plight of Ukraine in front of the international community, the same choir director who commissioned “Shchedryk” formed the new Ukrainian National Chorus to tour Europe, the United States, and several other countries. The chorus also made the first recording of “Shchedryk.” No matter where the choir sang, “Shchedryk” was an outstanding hit internationally. Concertgoers everywhere called for it to be sung for an encore.
With lyrics inspired by ancient Ukrainian folk traditions, the song is about a swallow flying into the house to tell the family about the bountiful year coming up for them. For those politically uncertain and harsh times, that message was uplifting in Ukraine. But the meaning of this song in the Ukrainian language did not matter to the audience around the world, who did not know what the Ukrainian lyrics meant but were completely overjoyed by the music and singing.
Shifting to Christmas Carol
The birth of “Carol of the Bells” was in 1936. In New York, a well-known choral director Peter Wilhousky was born of Ukrainian ancestry in New Jersey. He arranged the same song which was meant for the popular radio broadcasts of Arturo Toscanini’s NBC Symphony Orchestra. As he was in need of another piece to fill out a program, Wilhousky turned to a piece of music familiar to him. Naturally, it was Leontovych’s “Shchedryk.” But he knew the choir couldn’t sing it in Ukrainian.
Since the melody reminded him of the bells ringing, Wilhousky sat down and wrote lyrics about bells and Christmas for the song. The carol begins, “Hark! How the bells …” Naturally, it also includes “Christmas is here … Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas.” It was an instant hit with the public once they heard it on the national airwaves.
Wilhousky had it published for distribution. Soon it was being performed on the radio and recorded by choirs like the Robert Shaw Chorale and the Tabernacle Choir. In 1951 even radio’s Phil Spitalny and his All-Girl Orchestra and Choir recorded it. (Likely he was already familiar with the melody because he had emigrated from a town in the Kyiv Region in Ukraine.)
Dozens of adaptations have been made to the carol. There was even a version featuring new lyrics by a relativity unknown musician in 1947 that emphasized the Nativity of Jesus Christ and the religious significance of Advent and Christmas.
Then and now, with the new and old versions, this carol has contained a message of joy and hope, even in the sad circumstances of its composition in Ukraine.
By definition, a carol is “a popular song or ballad of religious joy.” And as a verb, another definition is “to go about outdoors in a group singing Christmas carols.”
The lyrics describe the bells playing “with joyful ring … all caroling,” and says, “joyfully they ring … while people sing songs of good cheer … Christmas is here.” The carol reminds us of the joy of the season and suggests the hope that comes with it.
Whenever you hear “Carol of the Bells” this year, just say a prayer for Ukraine that hope will abound and that peace and joy will return to that country — and to the world — with the celebration of the birth of the King of Peace!