From ‘Shchedryk’ to ‘Carol of the Bells’: the untold story of the famous song

“Carol of the Bells” has emerged as one of the most well-known Christmas songs across various parts of the world. However, it is less commonly known that this song was actually created by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych and is deeply rooted in an ancient song known as “Shchedryk”, dating back to pre-Christian times. For many years, “Shchedryk” has been a staple in every Ukrainian home and graced the stages of the world’s most esteemed concert venues. It has also evolved into a symbol of the Ukrainians’ prolonged struggle for independence from Russia. The English version, “Carol of the Bells”, appeared only in 1936. *Most of the research material is published for the first time, its reprinting and use is allowed only with the author’s permission ([email protected]). This article unveils the hidden story behind one of the world’s most famous Christmas songs. This exploration has become possible thanks to newly accessed archival materials, which had been off-limits for over fifty years. The research was led by Tina Peresunko, a researcher at the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archaeology and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the founder of the Leontovych Institute and the author of the book “Cultural Diplomacy of Symon Petliura: ‘Shchedryk’ against the Russian World. The mission of Oleksandr Koshyts’ chapel (1919-1924)”. For the first time, she delves into the international journey of “Shchedryk”, illustrating how its centuries-old legacy continues to resonate in the present. “I’m not complaining. For a true artist, the living testament should be to work at full capacity under any circumstances”. Mykola Leontovych This song has evolved into a symbol of Christmas, enchanting people worldwide. Performed by some of the world’s most renowned musicians, it has graced movies and commercials alike. Even NBA basketball players have embraced its rhythm. “Carol of the Bells” truly brings joy to all nations that celebrate Christmas, resonating with a spirit of festivity and harmony. From a “shchedrivka” worship song to a Christmas carol “Carol of the Bells” is a Ukrainian Christmas carol; music by M. Leontovych; words and arrangements by P. Wilhousky. This is indicated in the score, which was published in New York in 1936 by music publisher Carl Fisher. The same is true of the many notes of “Carol of the Bells”, which are played every year for Christmas by performers worldwide. Surprisingly enough, this piece of music has nothing to do with Christmas, is not a Christmas song, nor is it originally related to winter. “Shchedryk” is an old Ukrainian ritual song that was sung in March, when the swallows came home. It belongs to the genre of Ukrainian New Year’s songs, which were performed on the territory of ancient Ukraine before the adoption of Christianity. Back then, the New Year was celebrated in the country in March. Therefore, in the original text, unlike the English version, it refers to the swallows, not the bells, and the actual name of the song is “Shchedryk” from the word “shchedryi”, which means generosity, fertility, life-giving. For centuries, it was a simple one-voice melody of four notes. “Shchedryk” was sung on Christmas Eve, when the whole family gathered around the table to celebrate the New Year. People would set the table with different meals and “shchedrivniky” (young people or children) would go from house to house singing worship songs beneath the windows: Shchedryk, shchedryk, shchedrivochka Here flew the swallow from afar Started to sing lively and loud Asking the master to come out Come here, oh come, master — it’s time In the sheepfold wonders to find Your lovely sheep have given birth To little lambs of great worth All of your wares are very fine Coin you will have in a big pile All of your wares are very fine Coin you will have in a big pile You have a wife Fair as a dove If not the coin, then the chaff You have a wife fair as a dove Literal translation by Olena Androsova Unlike the similar Christmas carolling, where the main point was the celebration of Christ’s birth, “shchedrivka” songs were praising and worshipping the host, his wife and children, wishing the family prosperity, a good harvest, and an increase in livestock in the new year. In return, “shchedrivniky” were rewarded with food or money. With the New Year’s celebration being moved to the winter season, the “shchedrivka” began to be sung in January, the week after Christmas. The appearance of “Shchedryk” in the edited version by Mykola Leontovych The song remained in Ukrainian folklore for a long time until the turn of the XX century when Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921) heard it. Based on a simple one-voice melody, he wrote the choral masterpiece that is now sung at Christmas around the world. Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, creator of the “Carol of the Bells” melody. The composer set out to create the future Christmas hit in 1910. Then, on the advice of the professor of the Kyiv Conservatory Boleslav Yavorsky, he developed the ostinato motif effect in “Shchedryk”, the same principle of repetition of the main melody of the song (the first four notes). This would then be used by different performers of “Carol of the Bells”. For the lyrics of the song, Mykola Leontovych took the Volyn variant of “Shchedryk”, which was recorded by folklorists in the city of Krasnopyl in the Polissia region and published in one of the collections of Ukrainian songs. The popular worship song may have also been heard in the Podillia region, the composer’s homeland. He may have sung it as a child. Many Ukrainian composers of that era admired Ukrainian folklore. They travelled to villages, recorded folk songs from the local people, and created their choral works inspired by these melodies. During his studies at the Podillia Seminary, Mykola Leontovych undertook numerous folklore expeditions, creating over a hundred choral masterpieces. Most Ukrainian folk songs exhibited excellent polyphony, characterised by the harmony of multiple voices. The composers further refined this quality. However, the musical character of some works, particularly “Shchedryk”, was quite simple. Thus, adapting it involved crafting an entirely independent musical piece. Mykola Leontovych worked on his masterpiece for years. Only six years later, in August 1916, he sent the manuscript of “Shchedryk” (songs for an a cappella mixed choir) to the well-known Kyiv conductor Oleksandr Koshyts. A few months later, the song was first played in Kyiv. Mixed choirA choir composed of both male and female voices. The premiere of “Shchedryk” took place on the 29th of December 1916 during a Christmas concert in the hall of the Merchants Council building (now the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine). The song was performed by the student choir of St. Volodymyr University of Kyiv under the direction of Oleksandr Koshyts. The conductor recalled that the performance was very successful, and the song immediately appealed to the audience. But how did “Shchedryk” get overseas? This is where we switch from culture to politics. “Shchedryk” in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence Three months after the Kyiv premiere, significant changes happened in Ukraine’s history. In February 1917, the Russian Empire, which at that time included Ukrainian lands, experienced an October revolution. The Russian Emperor Nicholas II abdicated, and the nations, enslaved by the empire, began their fight for independence. Finland was the first to break out of the “prison of nations” by declaring independence in December 1917. The Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was the second to proclaim independence on 22 January 1918. They were followed by the Baltic states, the South Caucasus, and Poland. Immediately in Kyiv, the first national government was created, where Mykola Leontovych was invited to work. Together with the “godfather” of “Shchedryk”, Oleksandr Koshyts and other Ukrainian composers, he worked late nights in the music department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Arts. Officials wrote and published Ukrainian music manuals, founded national choirs, and opened Ukrainian schools. Together, they did what would have been instantly banned by Tsarist Russia as a manifestation of “separatism”. However, Ukrainian freedom did not last long. In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in Moscow. Despite declaring the right of non-Russian nations for self-determination, they launched a hybrid war against states formed on the territory of the former Russian Empire. They occupied the territory of Ukraine, calling it its “liberation” from “chauvinism”. The BolsheviksThat's what the Russian Communists were called. “With the advance of our troops into the West and the Ukraine, regional provisional Soviet governments are being established to strengthen the Soviets in the field. This deprives the chauvinists of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estland (historical name of the north of Estonia — ed.) of considering the movement of our units as an occupation. Without this […] our troops in the occupied regions would not be welcomed by the population as liberators.” Telegram from Vladimir Lenin to Ioakim Vatsetis, Chief of the Red Army, 29 November, 1918 At first, the “liberators” invaded Kharkiv, having proclaimed there a puppet Ukrainian People’s Republic of the Soviets. Soon, they launched the full-scale invasion of Kyiv. claiming that “they are not there”. They said it was an internal Ukrainian conflict: between the Kharkiv authorities and the government of the “Kyiv chauvinists”. Propaganda poster of the White Army In an effort to counter the Russian invasion, Ukraine turned to the West for help. Germany and Austro-Hungary were the first to recognise Ukrainian independence, and they provided the Ukrainian government with military assistance in the fight against the Bolsheviks. But the main word belonged to the Entente, the alliance of the victorious countries in the First World War, where France, the United Kingdom and the United States played a key role at the end of hostilities. The Russian Empire was a founding member of the Entente, and received considerable sympathy from the West, which largely perceived the Bolsheviks as Russia’s primary issue. The expansionist ambitions of the Bolsheviks did not find favour in Western eyes, leading to the imposition of economic sanctions and a diplomatic blockade against Bolshevik-controlled Russia. To militarily counter the Red Army, France deployed troops to Odesa in December 1918. One would think that this was to help Ukraine in its struggle for independence. Well, it did not. Instead, support was given to the Russian imperialists, the White Army, consisting of former tsarist generals. These groups were intent on restoring the grandeur of pre-revolutionary Russia. This familiar imperial visage was what Russia’s Western allies, particularly France, were accustomed to and seemingly keen to reinstate. The White ArmyRepresentatives of the military-political movement in opposition to the Soviet power, active in 1917-1923. Names of their military corps: White Army, White Movement, White Guards, etc. (as well as the enemy side: Red Army, Red Army men, etc.) is related to the colour of the symbolism they used. However, the White Guards called themselves the Volunteer Army, and the commonly accepted name The White Guards started to be used only during Soviet times. To achieve their goals, as Russian propagandists convinced the West, it was essential to defeat not only the Bolsheviks, labelled as the “bad Russians,” but also all Russian “separatists” — a group in which they included Ukrainians, denying the existence of a distinct Ukrainian nation. Anton Denikin, the leader of the White Army, referred to Ukrainians as the “Small Russian branch of the Russian people.” He dismissed Ukraine as a “failed state”, alleging it to be a construct of the German General Staff. Consequently, the White Guards, alongside the Bolsheviks and with backing from Western military forces, embarked on a mission to “liberate” Kyiv, which they called the “mother of Russian cities”. “Kyiv is the mother of Russian cities”This narrative is a misrepresentation of the phrase “Kyiv is the mother of Ruthenian cities,” said by Oleh, the Prince of Kyiv. It’s deeply rooted in imperialist and nationalist rhetoric of Russia, and is still widely used by the Russians. How can Ukrainians escape from this? How to convince the West that they are a separate nation from the Russians? This is where the song comes to the arena of Ukrainian diplomacy. Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy after the World War I Recognising the power of cultural diplomacy, Symon Petliura, the head of the Ukrainian state and commander-in-chief of the army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1879-1926), decided to showcase Ukraine to the world through its rich cultural heritage. He dispatched a Ukrainian choir to the West in line with this strategy. This choir was not just a musical ensemble but a symbol of Ukrainian identity and a tool to gain international recognition and support during a tumultuous period in the nation’s history. Symon Petliura understood that the traditional political rhetoric might not be sufficient to counter Russian propaganda, which had long influenced the West’s view of Ukraine. Instead, he believed in the power of music — a language that transcends cultural barriers — to alter Western leaders’ perceptions of Ukraine. This strategy aimed to convey the depth of the Ukrainian spirit and identity through song. Petliura’s deep involvement in culture significantly informed this approach. Having spent twenty years as an editor and journalist, he wasn’t just versed in politics; his expertise spanned theatre criticism, literature, and translation. He translated works from French to Ukrainian, delivered lectures on Ukrainian art history, and was personally acquainted with numerous Ukrainian cultural figures. His diverse cultural background equipped him to leverage the arts in diplomacy. Symon Petliura’s fondness for concerts was pivotal in his cultural diplomacy. At one such event, he was deeply moved by Mykola Leontovych’s song “Legend”, performed by a choir under Oleksandr Koshyts’ direction on 1 January 1919. Struck by the song’s beauty, Petliura, as recalled by contemporaries, immediately instructed Koshyts to embark on a European tour with a particular emphasis on Paris. This was a time-sensitive mission, as the Paris Peace Conference, Europe’s most significant diplomatic congress, was about to commence within a few weeks. World leaders from the victorious nations of World War I were set to gather there to shape the postwar world order. At this conference, where the issue of Ukraine’s international recognition was anticipated to be addressed, the Ukrainian delegation hoped to leverage the principle of nations’ right to self-determination. This principle, recently advocated by US President Woodrow Wilson, held significant promise. Ukrainians were optimistic that the West would acknowledge their quest for independence in the same way as the rights of Poles, Finns, and Lithuanians. To demonstrate to the world the unique identity of the Ukrainian nation, the government initiated a talent competition. This competition sought the best singers from across Ukraine and involved renowned composers in a collaborative effort, with the government rapidly allocating budget funds for a European choir tour. During this period, key figures directly approached Mykola Leontovych, requesting the inclusion of his songs in the tour. The composer, known for his modesty, declined, “My songs are so badly composed that they cannot be sung on a Prague or Paris stage.” However, with the Russian army’s advance towards the capital and no time left for persuasion, the choristers took Leontovych’s works without his permission. Tragically, the very next day, the Russian occupying forces entered Kyiv. ‘I sing, therefore I exist.’ The choir led by Oleksandr Koshyts made its premiere performance in Prague on 11 May 1919, three months after departing from Kyiv. The delay stemmed from the difficulties in crossing borders during a tumultuous time. Martial law reigned in Ukraine: railways lay in ruins, government ministries evacuated, and accessing promised government funds was challenging. With the Russian army advancing rapidly, the risk of capture or ending up in occupied territory was imminent. This dire situation forced the singers to walk nearly a thousand kilometres to the western border. Despite their exhaustion, the Ukrainian singers delivered a successful premiere. That day marked the first international performance of “Shchedryk” by Mykola Leontovych, a significant milestone in Ukrainian musical history. Professor Zdeněk Nejedlý of Charles University enthusiastically admired Ukrainian music after the concert, “So, gentlemen modernists, who need 20 lines of music to express their worthless thoughts, try to do it in four lines, like Ukrainian composers!” The polyphony of Ukrainian songs and their simplicity and rhythmic sense instantly captivated Czech musicians. “Shchedryk” (Czech: štěbetavý Ščedryk) stood out for its resemblance to Czech Christmas carols, as noted by critics. Symon Petliura’s hope that an appreciation for Ukrainian folklore would spark interest in Ukraine itself was realised. The renowned Czech conductor Jaroslav Kržička, who had previously been indifferent to Ukraine’s quest for independence, transformed after attending the choir’s concert in Prague. In his review for Hudebni Revue, he wrote, “It is difficult for my hand to write criticism when the heart sings praise. The Ukrainians came and won. I think we knew very little about them and deeply offended them by unknowingly and uninformed lumped them together against their will with the Russian people. Our desire for a ‘great and indivisible Russia’ is a weak argument against the distinct nature of the Ukrainian people, for whom independence is as vital as it once was for us.” After their successful performances in Czechoslovakia, the choir moved on to tour Austria and Switzerland. They held concerts in Vienna, Baden, Lausanne, Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern. The press overflowed with enthusiasm, with headlines and reviews proclaiming, “These songs are wonderful”, “We are witnessing a real phenomenon”, “Their voices echo the soul of an entire nation.” During this tour, Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk” continued to gain widespread recognition, captivating audiences with its unique melody and embodying the rich cultural heritage of Ukraine. “A work by the name ‘Shchedryk’, with its continuous repetition of four notes, with infinitely varied accompaniment and harmonisation, such worship songs are absolutely exquisite,” wrote a correspondent of the Geneva newspaper La Suisse. The choir’s concerts continued to open Ukraine to Western audiences. More than a hundred reviews had been published, with many critics increasingly and actively supporting Ukrainians in their struggle for independence. “The Ukrainian Republic is striving to restore its independence,” wrote a correspondent for the Swiss newspaper La Patrie Suisse, “and decided to demonstrate that it really exists. ‘I sing, therefore I exist,’ it says. And it sings amazingly.” “Ukraine’s cultural maturity should legitimise its political independence in the world,” the Viennese press summed up. If only the Parisian press had echoed the same sentiments! However, as representatives of an unrecognised state, Ukrainians faced significant barriers in France. Even the official diplomatic mission of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was not permitted to participate in the Paris Peace Conference meetings. Western leaders, it seemed, preferred to discuss Ukraine in the absence of its representatives. Yet, a significant breakthrough occurred when the French ambassador attended a Ukrainian concert in Bern. Captivated by the Ukrainian choir’s performance, he was moved to write a letter of recommendation to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in October 1919 he gave the choir permission to go on tour. ‘We who are about to die, salute you!’ Nine months after they departed from Kyiv, on 3 November 1919, the Ukrainian singers finally arrived in Paris. By that time, the fate of Ukraine had largely been decided by the leaders of the Entente. In a series of agreements, Ukrainian territories were partitioned among neighbouring states: central Ukraine was ceded to Russia (under the control of the White Army), Halychyna (Galicia) to Poland, Bukovyna to Romania, and Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) to Czechoslovakia. Tragically, Ukraine’s plea for independence went unrecognised by the Western world. The right to self-determination for the forty-million-strong Ukrainian nation was, regrettably, overlooked. The division of UkraineOn 26 May 1919, the Supreme Council of the Paris Peace Conference recognised Admiral A. Kolchak, a leader of the White Army, as the supreme ruler over all territories of the former Russian Empire, including part of Ukraine. Halychyna was ceded to Poland on 25 June 1919, stipulating that the region would receive autonomy and the Ukrainians would be granted political, religious, and personal freedoms. However, these conditions were not fulfilled by the Polish government. Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) was ceded to Czechoslovakia in a separate development, as outlined in the Treaty of Saint-Germain (10 September 1919). Bukovyna was allocated to Romania under the terms of the Treaty of Trianon (4 June 1920). Even then, Symon Petliura had not given up hope of international support. In the autumn of 1919, when the Ukrainian army was surrounded by enemies, he asked the leaders of the Entente to give Ukraine if not weapons, then at least medicines, and to send representatives of the Red Cross to the wounded Ukrainian soldiers. “Three-quarters of our Kozaks are without boots and clothes; however, their spirit is not extinguished!” wrote Symon Petliura to the head of the Bureau of Nationalities of the French Parliament, Jean Pelissier. “We have no medicine; typhus is decimating the ranks of our army, many wounded are dying because we don’t have medicines and blankets. And the Entente Powers, proclaiming high principles, forbid the Red Cross to come to us! We are dying, and the Entente, like Pilate, is washing its hands, and we have nothing left to do but to shout to them: ‘Morituri te salutant!’” “Morituri te salutant!”The traditional greeting of gladiators to Caesar before their entrance into the arena (“We who are about to die, salute you” — ed.) The choir’s concerts in Paris were both a sad and a grandiose spectacle. On 6 November 1919, Ukrainian singers took the stage of the Gaveau theatre in Paris, with the words “We who are about to die, salute you” in the air. Even so, Russian emigrants tried to disrupt the premiere: they wanted to boo the Ukrainian anthem and declare the choir members enemies of France. But they failed to do so. “No choir, French or foreign, has ever presented anything like it,” wrote a critic of the Le Nouvelliste. “This choir has been a revelation to us, it is of the highest calibre,” commented journalists from the Le Figaro newspaper. The song by Mykola Leontovych also gained special affection from the public. A correspondent of The New York Herald in Paris noted, “In the repertoire of Ukrainians, we liked the gradation of motifs, their characteristic orientalism, as well as explosions of sincere cheerfulness, especially in ‘Shchedryk’, songs that begin with a sudden attack, and in which the effects of really great humour are being formed by the simple gradation of voices.” Orientalism19th century art movement that had an extensive use of Eastern motifs, plots, and styles. In a broader sense, it is the idea of the East (oriens in Latin means East, orientalis – Eastern — ed.), apprehension of the East, which is traditionally contrasted with the idea of the West. In addition to “Shchedryk”, the Parisian public admired other songs of the composer: “I am spinning, spinning ”, “Oh there, beyond the mountain”, and especially chant (church song for choir) “To the Pochayiv Mother of God”. The Parisians translated it in their own way — “Notre Dame de Potchaïv”. This ancient work was written by Mykola Leontovych as a student from the mouth of a lark in one of the Ukrainian villages in Podillia. Other Ukrainian songs played at concerts were arranged by well-known composers. Among the most popular were: “On the Hill” by Kyrylo Stetsenko, “A violin is playing in the street” by Oleksandr Koshyts, “She went for honey mushrooms” by Mykola Lysenko, as well as the anthems of Ukraine and France. “Your choir singers have exceeded all my expectations,” wrote professor Charles Seignobos of the Sorbonne in a letter to Oleksandr Koshyts. “I felt something similar a long time ago when I listened to Wagner’s works in Munich. No propaganda could be more effective for the recognition of the Ukrainian nation.” However, “the propaganda” turned out to be too late, the French government delayed visas for singers for too long. Now, Ukraine had been already occupied, so they had no choice but to continue to bring Ukrainian art to the world. Moreover, the demand for it had increased in direct proportion to the loss of hopes for international support for Ukraine. ‘Why hasn’t this school of music been known to us before?’ In November and December 1919, the choir of Oleksandr Koshyts performed in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Everywhere, as Symon Petliura had hoped, the French public reached political conclusions. A professor of the Toulouse Conservatory, Georges Guiraud, wrote after the premiere in Toulouse, “They said that Ukraine is a part of Russia, why did the Russian government hide Ukrainian music from Europeans?” “We know the names of famous Russian composers: Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky,” he noted in his article in the newspaper L’express du Midi, “but there was never any mention of Ukrainian composers. Why has this school of music not been known to us until now? Was it destroyed by the weight of the glory of the great Russian colleagues?” For a long time, the Russian government not only hid Ukrainian music from the world, but also forbade Ukrainians to perform it. Long time before in 1863, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia Pyotr Valuyev issued a circular (Valuyev Circular) forbidding Ukrainians to print not only Ukrainian-language books, but also the texts of Ukrainian folk songs. Another such document, known as the Ems Decree, was issued in 1876 by Tsar Alexander II. Even Ukrainian-language performances and concerts with Ukrainian musical repertoire were banned. The founder of the Ukrainian music school, Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912), the teacher of Mykola Leontovych, was called a “separatist composer” by the Tsarist Russian officials, and his works were censored. Even Symon Petliura was expelled from the last year of the seminary in 1901 because a student choir under his direction had performed an unauthorised cantata by Mykola Lysenko, “Rapids rage”, which was banned by the authorities. So only with an independent Ukraine, the Ukrainian choir eloquently hinted to the French that Ukrainian culture could be present in the world and exist at all. At one point, the Ukrainians almost succeeded in conveying this to the political leadership of France: the choir’s concerts caught the eye of Thérèse Clémenceau, the daughter of French Prime Minister George Clemenceau, who presided over the Paris Peace Conference. She promised Oleksandr Koshyts to organise choral performances at the Paris National Opera and to bring his father, a supporter of a “united and indivisible Russia”, there. However, the Ukrainians were once again rejected. It was said that the performance of the choir in the state theatre of Paris would be equated to the political recognition of Ukraine’s independence by France. “I asked about the opera house,” Clemenceau wrote to the choristers. “Indeed, we cannot provide you with a stage for performances in the theatres we support”. Ukrainian Carol singers were left with nothing. So was the Ukrainian state. As was composer Mykola Leontovych, who at this time was forced to hide from the terror of the Russians in occupied Kyiv. Russian persecution of Mykola Leontovych, creator of ‘Carol of the Bells’ Mykola Leontovych indeed had to hide. After the capture of the Ukrainian capital in February 1919, the Russian Bolshevik army committed a terror attack there. Ukrainians were shot and buried in mass graves. Red terror changed to white when Kyiv was “liberated” by the Western-backed Russian White Guard in August 1919. They prohibited Ukrainians from using the word “Ukraine”, destroyed the portraits of the national poet Taras Shevchenko and began the persecution of Ukrainian activists. In November 1919, they shot Ukrainian writers Hnat Mykhailychenko and Vasyl Chumak, employees of the magazine Mystetstvo (Art — ed.). It was then when Mykola Leontovych decided to flee the capital. “The Black Hundreds were looking for me, so I had to leave Kyiv,” he told his friend Yakym Grekh. The Black HundredsThe name given to Russian monarchists and ultra-nationalists who advocated Russian autocracy and the indivisibility of the Russian Empire, committed Jewish pogroms, and did not recognise Ukrainians and Belarusians as separate peoples. They formed the backbone of the White Russian Army. Mykola Leontovych with his wife and daughter, 1903 In November 1919, when his “Shchedryk” was receiving ovations from the French public, the composer left Kyiv. “In a light summer coat on his shoulders and a pale hat, terribly sick,” contemporaries mentioned. By foot, he reached the town of Tulchyn in Podillia. The road was more than 300 km long. The next two years were the most miserable period of Mykola Leontovych’s life. He, his wife and their two daughters lacked the basics of food and clothing. “My parents often sent me to visit my grandfather in Markivka for various religious holidays,” recalled the composer’s daughter, “they hoped that I would bring some food when I returned.” Even in such conditions, Mykola Leontovych continued to create. Immediately after escaping from Kyiv, he took up writing his first opera. Working in poverty, the composer had no idea of the scale of his international fame. And it was magnificent. ‘Shchedryk’ for the encore! “Shchedryk” in the arrangement of Leontovych, is a masterpiece of folk art,” wrote a correspondent of the Brussels newspaper Le XX Siècle on 10 January 1920. “Many songs were sung after encores. Among the most original and beautiful ones were “Shchedryk” and “Oh there, beyond the mountain”, both created by Leontovych.” This was a review of the 4 February 1920 edition of The Daily News and Leader in London. “The public noted that they liked Leontovych’s arrangements, which were called for encores the most”, as was written in the Barcelona magazine Das Noticias in February 1921. The Royal Opera Theatre in Hague, where Ukrainians performed in January 1920 After completing a tour in France, the choir performed with great success in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, and Spain. Some of the singers even went to Africa (Algeria, Tunisia). At all concerts, compositions by Mykola Leontovych, especially his “Shchedryk”, were a hit of the tours and a musical calling card of Ukraine. “The audience welcomed us warmly; we sang ‘Shchedryk’ for the encore,” wrote the choir singer Sofia Kolodiivna in her travel diary about the premiere in Rotterdam. “The concert was attended by reviewers from all Amsterdam magazines. For the encore, we sang ‘Shchedryk’,” she wrote about the performance in Amsterdam. “We sing well, with a good mood. For the encore, we sing ‘Shchedryk’ by Leontovych,” she noted about the premiere in The Hague. It was in the Netherlands that the song of Mykola Leontovych gained the greatest popularity. In the kingdom’s capital, The Hague, it was sung simply in the streets. Chorister Pavel Korsunovsky recalled how the morning after the concert at the Royal Opera, they were awakened by the cries of journalists. “But we realised it wasn’t the names of the newspapers they were calling,” he wrote in his memoirs.”’It was the singing, ‘Shchedryk, shchedryk’. And they sang it nonstop. Sleep was impossible. My friend and I got dressed and went to the hotel dining room for breakfast. At the general table, we heard again, “Shchedryk, shchedryk”. Somewhere on the street, an older lady unexpectedly ran up to us and also said, ‘Shchedryk, shchedryk…’.” The same was true on the streets of Warsaw. The head of the art department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, Pavlo Zaitsev, wrote in his memoirs, “For several months, from all the houses, only “Shchedryk” could be heard.” In Berlin, a German professor called Leontovych’s song “gasheish”, such that it had a narcotic effect on the audience. In London, the editorial staff of the satirical magazine The Punch declared a crisis in the “College of Cosmopolitan Pronunciation”, as their members were unable to pronounce the name of “Shchedryk”, “one of the program’s most beautiful compositions”. In the Belgian city of Liège, future four-time Nobel Prize nominee for literature Franz Hellens wrote after the choir’s premiere at the Royal Conservatory, “Thanks to folk poetry, Ukraine is revealed as one of the most picturesque nations of Eastern Europe.” And next to it was a sample of this presentation poem “Shchedryk”, translated into French. In the capital of Belgium, Brussels, the premieres of “Shchedryk” had aroused a particular interest among the Flemish. They were fascinated not only by the song of Mykola Leontovych, but also by the whole project of musical diplomacy of Ukraine. “Symon Petliura internationalises the Ukrainian issue with a song,” wrote a correspondent of the Ons Vaderland newspaper and published the text of “Shchedryk” in Flemish. “We think that we have songs that can also show the world that we, like Ukrainians, want to hold our heads high,” wrote a journalist from another Brussels newspaper, De Volksgazet. “Ukrainians have given us not only beauty but also a lesson in national self-awareness.” Even Belgian Foreign Minister Paul Hymans, who was against the Flemish (as well as Ukrainian) self-determination, had to support the choir of the Ukraine’s People Republic. It was admired by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876-1965). After the Ukrainian concert in Brussels, she told the conductor Oleksandr Koshyts, “All my sympathies are on the side of your people” and left an autograph in the choir’s guestbook. According to the protocol, all ministers present at the concert were also required to put their signatures in it. Self-determination of the FlemishFrom the 9th century, Flanders was a fiefdom under the rule of France. By the end of the 16th century, it had fallen under various foreign dominions, including Spanish, Austrian, and French rule, while other regional provinces managed to regain their independence. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, Flanders became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Currently, Flanders is a region that spans parts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and a small section in northern France. During the two years of European touring, Oleksandr Koshyts’s choir performed in 45 cities in 10 countries of Western Europe as a cultural ambassador of Ukraine. During this time, about 600 reviews about Ukraine and Ukrainian culture were published in the foreign press. “Shchedryk” was translated into English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Flemish and Spanish. The song became the voice of the Ukrainian people in the struggle for independence. More like “the cry of the nation”, as it was written about the Ukrainian tour in Switzerland. Mykola Leontovych has been called by European critics “the Homer of music”, Symon Petliura “a commander-in-chief in love with art”, and Oleksandr Koshyts “one of the best choral conductors in Europe”. Everywhere, Ukrainian musical messengers softly but convincingly conveyed European audiences: Ukraine is fighting for its independence; Ukraine is not Russia; Ukrainian folklore is proof of the existence of the Ukrainian nation. Not by political speeches, but by the charm of Ukrainian songs and their loyalty on stage, they inclined the world in favour of Ukraine. In response, piles of letters of support were received from concerned European ambassadors and MPs, directors of music academies, famous conductors and composers, music critics and the general public. “I already had a warm sympathy for your glorious homeland,” one of the French women wrote the chorus, “…and wanted to do something, but didn’t know what. Now I know that I will pray to God that the Faith that lifts up nations, will lift up the nations of the world to help you establish your independence”. At one point, the prayers of thousands of the indifferent were heard. After establishing a military-political alliance with Poland, Symon Petliura succeeded in getting back Kyiv from the Russian occupiers in May1920. Ukrainian activists immediately emerged from the “underground” and began to create their national life. But once again, this didn’t last for long. Within two months, the Russians had pushed them back to Ukraine’s western borders, this time threatening to invade not only Warsaw, but also Paris, London, and Berlin. Only the Polish Army, armed by the Entente and supported by the soldiers of the army of the UPR, managed to stop the Russian advance near Warsaw. This battle will be known as “the Miracle on the Vistula”. However, for Ukraine, the miracle did not happen. Weakened by the war with the Bolsheviks, the Poles signed an armistice with them in October 1920. Poland recognised the independence of the puppet Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic created by the Bolsheviks, agreeing to the Russian occupation of Dnipro Ukraine. Western Ukrainian lands were given to Poland. Symon Petliura was not invited to the negotiations. And although the head of the Polish state, Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935) later apologised to the soldiers of the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian statehood was once again lost. The only compensation from the ally was political refuge for the government and the UPR troops. The murder of Mykola Leontovych In January 1921, the choir of Oleksandr Koshyts, with the government’s last money, went on tour to Paris. This time, however, the choristers did not need money or government support. The most famous impresarios in Europe competed for them. “I would very much like to direct these tours,” wrote the Dutch impresario Geza de Koos to Oleksandr Koshyts. “Concerts organised without my supervision will not bring you the financial results that I am offering you,” said a representative of the London-based Keith Prowse & Co. Ltd. Eventually, the Ukrainians settled with Joseph Schurman, a well-known impresario who had previously produced tours by Enrico Caruso, Isadora Duncan, Adelina Paty, French and English operettas, and other stars of the world stage. He offered the Ukrainians to perform in one of the most prestigious Parisian concert halls, Theatre of the Champs-Elysées (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in French — ed.), followed by a tour to other European cities. The opening of the Ukrainian season in Paris brought together the heads of the French society: General Maurice Pelle, ballerina Isadora Duncan, director of the Champs-Elysées Theatre Jacques Eberto, well-known composers and music critics. “Tuxedos, costumes from Palen and Wort. Perfumes and diamonds from the Rue de la Paix… Limousines and Rolls-Royce cars with livery-clad drivers and often crowns on their hats were in front of the theatre door,” wrote an enthusiastic correspondent for the Ukrainian magazine “Volia” (Will — ed.). As always, the works of Mykola Leontovych were accepted by the public for the encore. Isadora Duncan wrote in the choir’s guestbook “Bravo!” and called on Oleksandr Koshyts to cooperate. “They proposed to combine their art with ours and form a symphony of choreography with choral singing,” wrote Oleksandr Koshyts in a report to the Ukrainian government. Russian figures known in Paris, entrepreneur Sergei Diaghilev and composer Igor Stravinsky wanted to join Ukrainian singing. “Merging was suggested, we declined,” said the conductor ironically. Igor StravinskyRussian-born composer, conductor, pianist and writer of Ukrainian Kozak origin. Before Russia annexed Poland, his surname was Stravinsky-Sulyma. At various times, he worked and lived in Russia, Ukraine, France, Switzerland and the United States. In the town of Ustylug in Volyn there is a museum-mansion of Igor Stravinsky. On Sunday, 23 January 1921, the Ukrainians gave the final concert-matinee (morning concert) of the series of Paris premieres at the Champs-Elysées Theatre. “The great and undefeated nation of Ukrainians deserves to win the friendship of all free peoples,” French critic and playwright Adolphe Adère reacted the same day in the newspaper Le Petit Parisien. But none of those present at the concert had any idea that on the morning of the same day, in the Bolshevik-occupied Division, an agent of the Russian Cheka (All-Russian Emergency Commission for Combating Counter-revolution and Sabotage — ed.) shot and killed Mykola Leontovych. The murderer spoke in “Russian, soldier’s language”, recalled the composer’s father. Mykola Leontovych never finished his opera… Because there is one nation in the world that does not need “the great and invincible nation of Ukrainians”. It wants a “Russia without borders”. “‘The Independents’ may be trying to make some political demonstration with their ‘sponsorship’ of Mr. Koshyts’ choir,” a correspondent of the local Russian newspaper General Affairs wrote about the Ukrainian performances in Paris, “…but in fact, those attending the concert of the Ukrainian choir, receiving enormous artistic pleasure, have to once again see the diversity and breadth of artistic creativity in different regions of Russia without borders.” The appearance of “Shchedryk” in the United States Having never gained international support for Ukraine, in September 1922 the choir of Oleksandr Koshyts left Europe for good and moved to the United States. Within a few months, the Bolsheviks proclaimed the creation of a new Russian empire in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan — USSR. That’s how “Shchedryk” got to the American continent. Only after the murder of the author of this piece and the Russian occupation of Ukraine. And also only after the song became a music brand for Ukraine in ten Western European countries. But Ukraine was no longer on the political map of the world. The Ukrainian government could no longer support the overseas tours of the choir of Oleksandr Koshyts. There were no resources for this: no money, no diplomatic channels. Washington did not recognise Ukraine’s independence and did not accept the diplomatic mission of the Ukrainian National Republic that arrived there in 1919. The only effective channel for the popularisation of the Ukrainian idea was art. The famous American impresario Max Rabinov (1878-1966) organised tours of Ukrainian choristers in the United States. He was born in the city of Mogilev (now Belarus), where many Ukrainians lived, so he was used to hearing the language and Ukrainian songs from childhood. But when he suddenly came across the choir’s concerts in Europe, he immediately had an idea of organising a tour in the United States. “I’ve heard the Ukrainian national choir in five different European countries,” he said in an interview with The Washington Times. “And every time they’ve received an ovation I’ve rarely seen. I decided, ‘America needs to know this beautiful art’.” On 26 September 1922, the Ukrainian singers arrived in New York on a large transatlantic ship and immediately dove into the touring life. For a whole week, they recorded the best songs from their repertoire for the Brunswick record company, among them was “Shchedryk”. And even though the studio did not record all eighty singers (this was the composition of the choir during the European concerts) or even fifty (the amount that came to the US), but only about twenty selected choristers, this audio recording of the song by Mykola Leontovych is a unique testimony of the first performance in the United States of the melody of the future “Carol of the Bells”. Finally, the day of the premiere came. On 5t October 1922, thousands of people came to New York’s most prestigious concert venue, Carnegie Hall, to listen to Ukrainian singing. Famous American musicians, politicians, and the press were there. There were also a lot of Ukrainians in the room. As early as 1919, they actively advocated for their compatriots in Europe, keeping an eye on the press coverage of their tour. They came to the concert on that day, not just from New York and the suburbs, but from all neighbouring states. “May God grant that in the free land of Washington, the will of Ukraine will be sung!” wrote local Ukrainian priest Lev Sembratowych in the newspaper Svoboda. And so, Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk” was heard for the first time on the American continent. “Flowers flooded the stage…,” wrote a columnist for The Sun. “The audience supported the reception with great applause. ‘Shchedryk’ was asked on the encore.” Collage of the reviews of the American press on concerts of the Ukrainian choir in the United States Over the next few days, New York music critics were filled with enthusiasm. “We were captivated by this choral singing,” wrote a correspondent for The Globe and Commercial. “I saw [Jascha] Heifetz and Sophie Braslau (famous violinist and soloist of The Metropolitan Opera. — ed.), standing up and shouting their greetings. I saw simple people sitting on the balcony throwing flowers to the singers. Who said New Yorkers can’t applaud?” A columnist for The New York Times wrote about the diversity and richness of Ukraine’s musical culture. A correspondent of The New York Herald called the Ukrainian choir “an exceptional novelty in the musical life of New York”. The only critical comment was from Henry Craigby, music critic for The New York Tribune. He was “delighted with the entertainment provided by the Ukrainians” but was disappointed by the overly long music works of the “Russian” performers. That’s right, Russian performers. After all, the impresario Max Rabinov managed to “federate” the Ukrainians with the Russians. The native of the former Russian Empire, who brought to the United States the Russian balalaika orchestra and the ballet of Anna Pavlova, was closer to the idea of the “Great Russian Culture” than the project of an independent Ukraine. Therefore, he introduced two Russian performers, Oda Slobodskaya, Petrograd Opera singer and Nina Koshyts from the Moscow Opera (who was actually a Ukrainian, a niece of Oleksandr Koshyts), into the Ukrainian choir. In the interval between Ukrainian songs, they performed works by Russian composers: Modest Mussorgsky, Mikhail Glinka, Sergei Rachmaninov and others. However, as noted by American critics, during these long compositions, the audience got bored and asked for Ukrainian songs on the encore. Because of this “integration”, the American press began to call all Ukrainian singers Russians, and Ukraine Mallorussia, (“Little Russia”). The choristers were outraged. “Your newspapers call us Russians,” the tenor of the choir Leonid Troitsky complained in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “But they are wrong. We are Ukrainians, even though the Soviets rule our country.” The choir and President Symon Petliura continued to emphasise the Ukrainian mission. “When you are interviewed, quietly say these words: Ukrainian music, song, independence, our own, different, authentic, a part of independent Ukraine,” he wrote to the conductor Koshyts on the eve of the choir’s arrival in the USA. After the premiere in New York, the Ukrainians continued to tour in Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis and in other major cities in the United States. The choir had performed not only in the most prestigious concert halls but also in the luxurious auditoriums of famous American universities (Yale, Princeton, and others). “We didn’t even expect that they had a thorough knowledge of art”, admitted a correspondent for the American newspaper St. Louis Globe-Democrat. “If someone sings only with their voice, these people sing with their history,” said a critic in The Pittsburgh Post. “This performance is the embodiment of the highest form of art,” wrote John Grigg, president of Princeton University, to Max Rabin. “Our Princeton audience greeted them with enthusiasm.” In order to win even more favour with the American public, conductor Oleksandr Koshyts decided to study several songs by American composers with the choir. In addition to “Shchedryk” and other Ukrainian compositions, the choir began to perform during the tours the songs “Oh, Susanna” and “Old folks at home” by “father of American music” Stephen Foster (1826-1864), as well as the song “Listen to the Lambs” by African-American composer Robert Nathaniel Dette (1882-1943). During a choir concert at Hampton University (at the time a black-only institution), Oleksandr Koshyts, impressed by Nathaniel Dett’s talent, gave him a kiss on stage. It was a shock to those present as “a white kissed a black!” The American managers who accompanied the choir on tour told the Ukrainian conductor off. But he ignored it [criticism]: “I’m glad I did it”, he wrote in his diary. “And if I have another chance, I’ll do it again!” For the Ukrainian envoys, who fought so hard for the freedom of their people, it was unacceptable to treat other nations with superiority. All of this impressed American critics, who wrote: “The Ukrainian choir demonstrates the true spirit of American freedom.” Although in reality it was a demonstration of the spirit of Ukrainian freedom and strength. After all, in addition to fighting for their cultural separateness and establishing a cultural dialogue with the world, the choristers continued to advocate for the independence of Ukraine, sending money from their American concerts to Symon Petliura for the Ukrainian army. He was preparing a rebellion in the occupied Ukrainian lands and reported to the singers for every dollar. “I ended up with a decision to organise courses for the officers of the General Staff using donations for the Chapel,” he wrote in February 1923 in a letter to Oleksandr Koshyts about the 160 dollars received. He also congratulated members of the Chapel with the fifth anniversary of Ukrainian statehood and assured: “We here in the ‘Old World’ are following your performances, rejoicing in your glory and sending our best wishes and blessings.” Glory overseas and “Russian winter” at home During 1923-1924, the Ukrainian choir performed in 115 cities in 36 states of the US, but also in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba. The choristers even reached Trinidad and Tobago. They were gaining fame and recognition for Ukrainian culture everywhere. “Shchedryk” remained the concert’s hit, as well as a test for local translators. In Buenos Aires, the song was called “Shchelryk”, in São Paulo “Stehedryk”. The concerts were attended by presidents and ministers, as well as famous composers and conductors. Over 2,000 reviews about Ukrainian culture appeared in the press overseas, and the number of fans of Ukrainian music grew exponentially. 40,000 people attended one of the concerts in Mexico City alone. As in Europe, Leontovych’s “Shchedryk” continued to broadcast not only Ukrainian culture, but also the idea of an independent Ukraine to foreign audiences. “Sing, imprisoned Ukraine! Sing like a chirping bird!,” wrote Brazilian academic Henrique Coelho Neto after the premiere of “Shchedryk” in Rio de Janeiro. “The spring that you are waiting for will come!” But the Ukrainians would have to wait a long time for their own spring to come. Because in Ukraine, it was the “Russian winter”. The Ukrainians couldn’t stand up to it on their own without support from the world. In May 1924, the last Ukrainian diplomatic mission ceased its work in Hungary, at the same time the musical Ukrainian republic completed its tours. Two years later, on 25 May 1926, in one of the streets of Paris, seven shots in the chest killed “art lover”, commander-in-chief Symon Petliura. For more than half a century, Ukraine came under control of the Kremlin. Only “Shchedryk” remained free. The murder of Symon PetliuraThis was a Kremlin-planned operation carried out by the anarchist Samuel Schwarzbard in order to discredit Ukraine and the head of the Ukrainian state by accusing him of anti-semitism. However, Symon Petliura personally ordered the death penalty for pogroms, and Ukraine at that time was the only state in the world where the Jewish population was granted personal-national autonomy. The victims of Jewish pogroms were also compensated by the Ministry of Jewish Affairs. “Shchedryk”on Broadway In the second half of the 1920s, the famous Ukrainian song began its own life in the US. But even there, they had to fight back against Russia’s attempts to take it. Since everything the Empire has not destroyed, it seeks to appropriate. Thus, in 1925 in New York the Russian choir included the song, already popular in the States, in its repertoire. On Broadway the choir played “Shchedryk” as a part of the musical “The song of the Flame”. Among the creators of the project was famous American composer George Gershwin. The plot of the musical was based on the history of the Russian Revolution in 1917. However, for some reason, Ukrainian folklore songs such as “Hrechanyky”, “Kozak rode beyond the Danube”, and “Shchedryk” were chosen to portray the events of the revolution. They were sung in Ukrainian, but were referred to as Russian songs. In 1926, in support of the distribution of the musical, Columbia Records recorded their best songs, “Shchedryk” was among them. The record label stated that it was a Christmas carol, and that it was originally a Russian folk song. There was no mention of Mykola Leontovych. In 1930, the musical “A Christmas Carol” was created on the basis of a musical which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound. And although the video of the film was lost, the audio of the film was preserved. “Shchedryk” was included there too. Finally, in 1933, the first English-language version of the Ukrainian song appeared. However, it was not “Carol of the Bells”, but “The Bluebirds”, written by Max Thomas Krone (1901-1970), an American conductor and composer, at the time the director of the conservatory in Indianapolis. He was the first in the United States to make an adapted English translation of “Shchedryk”. His song was also about the birds that bring the joy of spring. However, there was one “but”. The American conductor indicated in the score of the song that the original language of the piece was Russian. As American choirs began to incorporate the song into their repertoire, the Ukrainian community in the United States immediately responded. “‘Shchedryk’ is not a translation from Russian, the song comes from an ancient Ukrainian Christmas carol song,” addressed the Ukrainian newspaper Svoboda. “Moreover, it is strange to call Mykola Leontovych Russian, since he lived in Ukraine for his whole life. And in 1921 he was killed by a Russian Chekist.” The birth of “Carol of the Bells” In 1936, “Carol of the Bells” finally appeared, the English version of “Shchedryk” the whole world sings at Christmas till this day. The author of the English-language lyrics was American conductor of Ukrainian descent Peter Wilhousky (1902-1978). As he later explained, he heard the song performed by the Ukrainian choir (perhaps in recording). He then asked the singers for notes, as he had decided to perform “Shchedryk” together with his school choir on the popular program Music Appreciation Hour with Walter Damrosch on American radio NBC . “Since the young people would not sing in Ukrainian, I had to write English lyrics. I removed the Ukrainian words about “swallows”(household birds) and instead focused on the cheerful ringing of bells that I heard in the music,” Wilhousky later wrote in a letter to the Ukrainian musicologist Roman Sawycky. Thus, the Ukrainian “swallows” turned into the American bells and “Shchedryk” turned into “Carol of the Bells”. Peter Wilhousky recalled that after the radio premiere, music teachers from all over the United States bombarded him with requests for sheet music. So in November 1936, he published “Shchedryk” in the New York music publisher Carl Fischer Music, naming the song “Carol of the Bells”. In the score it was noted that this was a Ukrainian Christmas Carol by M. Leontovych, words and arrangements by P. Wilhousky. However, Wilhousky’s arrangement only consisted of adding a piano part to the score, which, as indicated in the song’s notes, was intended “for repetition only”. This piece of music was also based on a Leontovych’s melody. Since then, as Peter Wilhousky recalled, “Carol of the Bells” had become a bestseller. “My motive was not commercial,” he remarked. “I just wanted to share good music.” And he succeeded. After 1936, the song gained a new lease of life and once again gained popularity worldwide. It’s been covered by some of the best-known choirs in America and around the world, and there’s been orchestral versions of the song, rock performances, jazz standards, electro, techno, disco, metal, there are thousands of different arrangements today. Notable performers include The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Pentatonix, The Piano Guys, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein, Al di Meola, the Spanish opera tenor Placido Domingo, and many, many others. Mykola Leontovych’s melody also became beloved in American cinema. Since the 1930s, the song has been featured in over one hundred American films and television shows. Among the most well-known are Home Alone, The Muppet Show, South Park, and many others. It’s also a big hit in the advertising industry. Since 1973, the best-known American and world brands have used Mykola Leontovych’s melody in their advertising campaigns. Those include Coca-Cola, Burger King, IKEA, Amazon, Walmart, Victoria’s Secret, Honda, Audi, Toyota, Audi, and many others. However, if in the 1920s “Shchedryk” gained worldwide popularity as a Ukrainian song, with its transformation into “Carol of the Bells”, the piece stopped being associated with Ukraine. Although Peter Wilhousky mentioned in his notes that it was a Ukrainian carol, for the world, the song became American. In professional musical groups, it is still often considered a “Russian folk song”. After all, practically everything that came from the Soviet Union was Russian to the Western people. For example, a popular American choir under the direction of Robert Shaw in its Christmas Hymns and Carols (1946) provided an annotation for “Carol of the Bells”, “A typical Russian folk carol by Leontovych, a composer about whom we have been unable to find any information.” This is not surprising. It was challenging to discover information about the author of America’s most popular Christmas hit not only across the world but also in his homeland due to Soviet repression. ‘Carol of the Bells’ for America, terror for Ukraine As early as 1928, the Russian authorities in Ukraine shut down the “Committee of Memory of Mykola Leontovych”, created on the ninth day after the composer’s death, as he “led a Ukrainian nationalist line”. At the same time, the artist’s name was declared “not relevant for the Soviet era”. Soon, nearly 200,000 more Ukrainians were found to be so-called “unfitting” and “harmful” [for the Soviet regime]. That’s how many Ukrainian activists were arrested or shot during Stalin’s Great Terror in 1937-1938, a terror that began exactly one year after the New York premiere of “Carol of the Bells”. While the American choirs were learning the notes of the Ukrainian carol, Moscow was cleansing Ukraine from “chauvinists”. In just one week (28 October to 4 November , 1937), nearly two hundred representatives of the Ukrainian intellectuals were shot in the Sandarmokh forest in northern Russia. Among them is the famous theatre director Les Kurbas, neo-classical poet Mykola Zerov, former Prime Minister of the Ukrainian People’s Republic Volodymyr Chekhivskyi, literary critic and Minister of Culture Antin Krushelnytskyi with his children and many, many others. At that same time, Petro Stetsenko was killed, the only singer of the UPR choir who dared to return to his occupied homeland. He was imprisoned in one of the prisons of Kherson for his Ukrainian choral past in 1937. What else to say about the Bolshevik terror of the 1920s, the Holodomor [soviet-made famine in Ukraine] of 1932-1933, the post-war repressions and deportations of the 1940s. It was only with the death of Stalin and the Khrushchev Thaw of the 1960s Ukraine got a little “warmer”. It was then for the first time in the Soviet encyclopaedia, the name of Oleksander Koshyts was mentioned. However, it was also noted that the conductor in his speeches “admitted to nationalist claims”. However, the real “Cultural spring” came to Ukraine only in the early 1990s, when “Shchedryk” returned home, although in the English version. The Khrushchev ThawThe term for the period from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, when Nikita Khrushchev came to power after the death of Joseph Stalin.The period was characterised by the de-Stalinization and liberalisation of life. In 1990 “Home Alone” was released in cinemas around the world. People in Ukraine saw it too. Many of them had just heard the song by Mykola Leontovych for the first time. And this was all because in 1921 Russia stole from Ukraine not only its independence, but also its culture. “Falling under the Kremlin’s thumb, Ukraine couldn’t even comprehend its global cultural victory,” stated Ukrainian literary critic and editor of the anthology Executed Renaissance, Yuriy Lavrynenko in 1962 on the air of Radio Liberty. Finally, in August 1991, Ukraine regained its state independence, and got access to the archives of the UPR. Among the previously forbidden to review cases were the materials of the choir of Oleksandr Koshyts: numerous reviews of the world press, posters, correspondence and photographs. These materials were collected by the singers during their tours and sent to the UPR government. It was able to restore the history of one of the world’s most famous songs thanks to those materials. “‘Shchedryk’ was the epitome of our repertoire in all countries for 5.5 years,” wrote Oleksandr Koshyts in his memoirs. A new war for the independence of Ukraine Today, Mykola Leontovych’s song continues to live and inspire. Each year at Christmas, new arrangements of “Carol of the Bells” appear. Unfortunately, there are still many performers in the world who do not know anything about the Ukrainian composer, let alone the Ukrainian independent state of the early XX century. The history of this era of Ukrainian statehood can hardly be found in foreign textbooks of world history. But the world is well aware of Ukraine’s struggle for independence today, as Russia has not yet come to terms with the country’s existence. History has shown, there is one empire that does not need a “great and invincible Ukrainian nation”, it needs a “Russia without borders”. On 24 February 2022, Russian dictator Putin declared that “Ukraine does not exist” and began the so-called “liberation from Nazism”. On the morning of February 25, the first Russian missile landed in a residential district in Kyiv. It struck a house on a street named after Oleksandr Koshyts, the same conductor who 100 years ago tried to prove to the world that Ukraine exists. And a few days later, the famous Ukrainian musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk recorded a Sich Riflemen’s march “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” on Sophia Square in Kyiv. A new song of the Ukrainian struggle for independence had appeared on the international stage. It’s been performed by Pink Floyd and hundreds of other famous musicians around the world. This time, however, the entire democratic world is in solidarity with Ukraine: politically, militarily and economically. And this time Ukraine will win. And “Shchedryk” by Mykola Leontovych will continue to be heard every year at Christmas. In every corner of our planet. As a generous gift from Ukraine to the world. As a pledge of a worthy place for Ukrainians among the free people of the world. :Bogdan Logvynenko,,::Yelizaveta Nevezhina:Lyudmyla Kucher:Anna Yabluchna::Yana Bohdanova:::Maksym Shcherbyna:Dmytro Kutniak:Yurii Stefanyak,:Katia Ptashka:Kateryna YuzefykKseniia Kalyna:Mykola Nosok:Liubov Linnyk:Yelyzaveta PalchynskaSofiya Doig:Yelyzaveta Palchynska:Yuliia Kozyriatska:Anastasiia Marushevska:Kateryna Minkina