Shchedryk (song)

This article is about the song. For the choir, see Shchedryk (choir).
"Shchedryk"
Disc label for the 1922 recording of "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian National Choir
Song
Released1901 (first version)
1919 (final revision)
Songwriter(s)Mykola Leontovych

"Shchedryk" (Ukrainian: Щедрик, from Щедрий вечiр, lit. 'Bountiful Evening') is a Ukrainian shchedrivka, or New Year's song, known in English as "The Little Swallow". It was arranged by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych between 1901 and 1919. The song tells a story of a swallow flying into a household to sing of the wealth that will come with the following spring.[1] "Shchedryk" was originally sung on the night of January 13, New Year's Eve in the Julian Calendar (December 31 Old Style), known in Ukraine as Malanka or Shchedry Vechir [uk] ("Generous Evening"). Early performances of the piece were made by students at Kyiv University.

The song was made into a Christmas carol, "Carol of the Bells", by the American composer and educator Peter J. Wilhousky, following a performance of the original song by Alexander Koshetz's Ukrainian National Chorus at Carnegie Hall on October 5, 1922.[2] Wilhousky copyrighted and published his own lyrics in 1936. The music has since become strongly associated with Christmas.[3]

The song is an example of a Ukrainian shchedrivka [uk], whilst the English words of "The Little Swallow" identifies it as a koliadka.

  1. ^ "The cultural code of Shchedryk". leontovych. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  2. ^ "Ukrainian National Chorus". www.carnegiehall.org. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  3. ^ "UKRAINIAN LIVE CLASSIC - Leontovych Mykola". ukrainianlive.org. Retrieved 2023-08-03.