| "Shchedryk" | |
|---|---|
 Disc label for the 1922 recording of "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian National Choir | |
| Song | |
| Language | Ukrainian |
| Released | 1901 (first version) 1919 (final revision) |
| Songwriter | Mykola Leontovych |
"Shchedryk" (Щедрик, fromUkrainian:Щедрий вечiр,lit. 'Bountiful Evening') is a Ukrainian'shchedrivka' [uk], orNew Year celebration song, known in English as "The Little Swallow". The song tells a story of aswallow flying into a household at new year to sing of the wealth that will come with the following spring. "Shchedryk" was sung duringkoliada on the night of 31 December,New Year's Eve in theJulian calendar (13 January in theGregorian Calendar), known in Ukraine asMalanka. The song was arranged by theUkrainian composerMykola Leontovych between 1901 and 1919 with early performances of the piece being performed by students atKyiv University.
It was made into aChristmas carol, "Carol of the Bells", by the American composer and educatorPeter J. Wilhousky. Following a performance of Leontovych's composition byAlexander Koshetz'sUkrainian National Chorus atCarnegie Hall on 5 October, 1922, Wilhousky published his ownlyrics for the melody and secured a copyright on his lyrics in 1936. The music has since become strongly associated withChristmas.
"Shchedryk" ('Bountiful Evening') is a Ukrainianshchedrivka, orNew Year celebration song, known in English as "The Little Swallow". It tells of aswallow flying into a home to proclaim that the family will enjoy a plentiful and bountiful year.[1][2] The title is derived from theUkrainian word for "bountiful".[1] The song is based on a traditional folk song whose language was thought to have magical properties. The traditional Ukrainian text used a device known ashemiola in the rhythm (alternating the accents within each measure from3
4 to6
8 and back again). The chant based on anostinato four-note pattern within the range of aminor third is thought to be of prehistoric origins, predating the introduction ofChristianity. It was associated with the coming New Year that was celebrated in Ukraine in March.[3] Conceptually, the Ukrainian lyrics of this song meet the definition of ashchedrivka, while the English content of "The Little Swallow" identifies it as akoliadka.[citation needed]
With the introduction of Christianity to Ukraine, the celebration of the New Year was moved from March to January and "Shchedryk" became associated with theFeast of Epiphany, also known in Ukrainian asShchedryi vechir. The song was then sung on the night ofNew Year's Eve in theJulian Calendar (corresponding to 13 January on the Gregorian Calendar), which isShchedryi vechir. In modern Ukraine, the song is again sung on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13).[citation needed] The folk melody was one of many "well-wishing songs" performed across Ukraine on 13 January, often by girls who went singing from house to house, and were given treats.[1]
The conductorAlexander Koshetz commissioned the Ukrainian composer and teacherMykola Leontovych to write a song based on Ukrainian folk melodies for a Christmas concert. Using the four notes and the original folk lyrics of a well-wishing song he found in an anthology of Ukrainian folk melodies, Leontovych created a new choral work.[1] The four-note melody over a minor third of the chant was used by him as an ostinato theme in several arrangementsLeontovych composed. "Shchedryk" is the most famous of all his songs.[4]
"Shchedryk" is incorrectly said to have been first performed by students atKyiv University on 25 December 1916. However, the song was first performed on 29 December 1916 in the Kyiv Merchants' Assembly Hall, now part of theNational Philharmonic of Ukraine.[5] The arrangement for ana cappella mixed voice choir was popularised by theUkrainian Republic Capella directed by Koshetz when it toured Europe in 1920 and 1921 under the auspices of the newly independent Ukrainian government, with the task of promoting Ukrainian music abroad. The chorus performed more than 1000 concerts in Europe, North America, and South America. The first recording was made in New York in October 1922 forBrunswick Records.[1][6]
After "Shchedryk" was performed byAlexander Koshetz'sUkrainian National Chorus for the first time at Carnegie Hall 5 October, 1922, the song was adapted as an EnglishChristmas carol, "Carol of the Bells", by the American composer and educatorPeter J. Wilhousky ofNBC Radio. Wilhousky published and copyrighted his newlyrics—which were not based on the Ukrainian lyrics—in 1936. In the late 1930s, a number of Wilhousky's choirs began to perform his arrangement of the song at Christmas.[1] Thereafter, the song became popular in the English-speaking world, where it became strongly associated withChristmas.[7]
Although "Carol of the Bells" uses the melody from "Shchedryk", the lyrics of these two songs have nothing in common. The ostinato of the Ukrainian song suggested to Wilhousky the sound of ringing bells, so he wrote lyrics on that theme. Several other lyricists have written for the same melody, usually retaining Wilhousky's bell theme. A 1947 version, "Ring, Christmas Bells", has become a Christian devotional song.[8] There is an English adaptation of the original Ukrainian byStepan Pasicznyk.[9]
| Ukrainian lyrics[10] | Transliteration (BGN/PCGN)[11] | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Щедрик, щедрик, щедрівочка, | Shchedryk, shchedryk, shchedrivochka, | Bountiful evening, bountiful evening, |
Originally a New Year celebration song, "Shchedryk" is not a popular Christmas song in Ukraine, unlike elsewhere in the world where the introduction of the Wilhousky lyrics became popularized since the late 1930s. Instead, in Ukraine its association with the new year is retained and the song is more often performed on the eve of the Julian Calendar new year.[1]
TheFamily Guy episode "Deep Throats" contains a scene where Peter Griffin sings a song to the same tune as "Shchedryk" while performing a part-time job.
"Shchedryk" wascovered byUkrainian rock bandVopli Vidopliassova in 2012.
"Shchedryk" was used in the 2016 filmHunt for the Wilderpeople, and in the 2024 horror filmImmaculate, just as Sister Cecilia gives birth.[citation needed] In the Christmas scene of the 2022 Ukrainian historical drama filmCarol of the Bells, children are caroling and singing "Shchedryk". The role of the song in the film is as a symbol of peace, hope, and faith for a better future.[12]
Because of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, at the second semifinal of theEurovision Song Contest 2023 that was held in the UK city ofLiverpool rather than in Ukraine, the song was sung by the Ukrainian singersZlata Dziunka andMariya Yaremchuk.[13]
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