1877–1921
Mykola Leontovych
Composer of “Shchedryk”
The world sings “Carol of the Bells” and rarely knows it is a Ukrainian New Year’s song. Its arrangement, “Shchedryk”, was made by the composer and choir conductor Mykola Leontovych, and the melody has since been rearranged more than 150 times.
Key accomplishments
- Choral arrangement of “Shchedryk”, first performed in Kyiv in 1916
- About 150 choral arrangements of folk songs
- Teacher and organizer of the choral movement in Ukraine
More than 150 versions of one song
That is how many times Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk” has been rearranged for different voices and instruments. The English-speaking world knows it as “Carol of the Bells”. It all began with a Ukrainian New Year’s song that a composer from Podillia spent years perfecting.
A priest’s son who polished every note
Leontovych was born in the village of Monastyrok in Podillia, the son of a village priest, and graduated from the theological seminary in Kamianets-Podilskyi. He taught singing and led school and village choirs. He was hard on his own work: he could spend years on a single arrangement before letting anyone see it.
How “Shchedryk” went round the world
At the end of 1916 “Shchedryk” was first sung by the Kyiv University student choir under Oleksandr Koshyts, and it made the composer famous. Later Koshyts’s Ukrainian Republic Capella, set up with the backing of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, took it on tour across Europe and the Americas, and the melody rang out in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 1936 Peter Wilhousky wrote English words for it, and “Carol of the Bells” was born.
On 23 January 1921 Leontovych was murdered in his parents’ home by an agent of the Soviet secret police.
Why it matters today
“Shchedryk” is an example of cultural diplomacy: a Ukrainian melody that became part of Christmas around the world. At the same time, Leontovych’s fate is a reminder of how many Ukrainian artists the Soviet regime destroyed.
