Notably, this past October, Russian soldiers shot and killed prominent Ukrainian composer Yuriy Kerpatenko, who lived in the city of Kherson and had remained there after the city fell to Russian forces in March. Kerpatenko had refused to take part in a concert highlighting the “improvement of peaceful life” in Kherson.
During Ukraine’s upheaval in the early 20th century, the Ukrainian Republican Kapelle’s tour took them to the United States, where the choir’s first performance occurred at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 5, 1922. The audience loved “Shchedryk,” which was “the hit of the tour,” says Tomkiw.
American choral director Peter Wilhousky is responsible for writing the lyrics to what we now know as “Carol of the Bells,” although it is not known whether he was present at the Carnegie Hall performance or heard the melody later. The lyrics read in part:
Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold.
Ding dong ding dong
that is their song
with joyful ring
all caroling.
One seems to hear
words of good cheer
from everywhere
filling the air.
Wilhousky’s niece told Tomkiw that her uncle, whose family immigrated from what is now northeastern Slovakia, might have included bells in the carol because in the neighborhood where he grew up, church bells would ring at midnight for Christmas. Wilhousky, who wrote the lyrics to “Carol of the Bells” for his high school choir, eventually sold the song to Carl Fischer Music. As a result, says Tomkiw, the carol is now “one of the best-selling pieces of Christmas music.”
Yet while “Carol of the Bells” is widely popular, few people are familiar with its history. Tomkiw, who has friends and family in Ukraine who are “going through horrific things,” says, “I just hope a lot of people learn the history behind this and maybe hear it in a different light this year.”
There is hope that will be the case. Just this past weekend, on Dec. 4, the song came full circle as Ukrainian singers once again performed “Shchedryk” at Carnegie Hall.
⚡️The famous Ukrainian carol ‘Shchedryk,’ also known as ‘Carol of the Bells,’ was performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Dec. 4.
The carol had its first performance at Carnegie hall 100 years ago, in 1922.
The concert included the Shchedryk Children’s Choir from Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/N0i3bwXOvQ
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) December 5, 2022
