Carol of the Bells

"Carol of the Bells" is a Christmas carol. It was composed by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych with an English text created later by American composer Peter J. Wilhousky, who wrote lyrics entirely unrelated to the original ones. The carol is based on a folk chant known in Ukrainian as "Shchedryk". Wilhousky's lyrics are copyrighted, although the musical composition and original arrangement is not.

The song is recognized by a four-note ostinato motif (see image to the right). It has been arranged many times for different genres, styles of singing and settings and has been covered by artists and groups of many genres: classical, metal, jazz, rock, and pop. It has also been featured in films, television shows, and parodies.

Contents

Background

Origins

The song is based on a traditional folk chant. It was associated with the coming New Year which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was originally celebrated with the coming of Spring in April. (This explains the reason why the original Ukrainian text speaks about a swallow returning and lambs being born.)

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 the Feast of Epiphany (also known in Ukrainian as Shchedry vechir). The songs sung for this celebration are known as Schedrivky.

The original Ukrainian text tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful and bountiful year that the family will have.[1] The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful." The period for the birth of animals and the return of swallows to Ukraine however does not correspond to the current calendar season of winter.

In Ukraine, the chant is currently sung on the eve of the Julian New Year.

Composition and translation

Although the first version of the composition was composed in 1904, it first premiered in December 1916 performed by a student choral group 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. A copyrighted English text was created by Peter Wilhousky in the 1930s, and since then it has been performed and sung worldwide during the Christmas season. Its initial popularity stemmed largely from Wilhousky's ability to perform it to a wide audience in his role as arranger for the NBC Symphony Orchestra, trained especially for Arturo Toscanini.[2] The song would later be assisted to further popularity by featuring in television advertisements for champagne.[2] An alternate English version ("Ring, Christmas Bells") featuring more Nativity-based lyrics, written by Minna Louise Hohman in 1947, is also common.[3]

Musical analysis

The original Ukrainian version has internal linguistic accents within the text that employ a device known as hemiola, although non-Ukrainian and instrumental recordings neglect to incorporate this change of meter into their performances.

Leontovych originally created the piece as an assignment for a harmony course he was taking by correspondence to demonstrate the use of a device known as ostinato. The original work was intended to be sung a cappella by mixed 4-voice choir.

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

The four-note theme over a minor 3rd of the chant was used by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych as an ostinato throughout the piece. Three different arrangements done by the composer exist of the piece, one with piano accompaniment, a version for children's choir. The most used version is the variant for mixed chorus. The arrangement for mixed voice choir a cappella was popularized by the Ukrainian Republic Capella, directed by Oleksander Koshetz, when it toured the West after 1920.

Leontovych's composition is characterised by the use of a four note motif as an ostinato figure throughout the work. This ostinato figure is an ancient pagan Ukrainian New Year's (originally celebrated in April) magical chant known in Ukrainian as "Shchedryk" [the Generous One].

The original traditional Ukrainian text used a device, known as hemiola, in the rhythm (alternating the accents within each measure from 3/4 to 6/8 and back again). This device however is lost in the English translations and rarely is used in non-Ukrainian performances. The ostinato motif, a repeated four-note pattern within the range of a minor third is thought to be of prehistoric origins.

Notable performances

Covers

(Chronological growth in popularity)

Films and parodies

References

  1. ^ "Quote from Rice University News". Media.rice.edu. http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=6897. Retrieved 2011-11-30. 
  2. ^ a b Carol of the Bells, Sean Spurr, Carols.co, Accessed July 26 2011.
  3. ^ "Information about the piece". Cpdl.org. http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Ring_Christmas_Bells_(Mykola_Leontovich). Retrieved 2011-11-30. 
  4. ^ http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90idysfunctional.phtml
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ&sns=em