The universe of the heaven’s swallow

The song can do a lot of things, for instance – fly. The most important for it is to find impressionist, that will help to conquer the planet. The song “Shchedryk” was just that lucky.

A simple old Christmas song was adopted by a composer Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921). He was specially gentle with it, like the sensitive step-father, that doesn’t separate the children on “ours” and “their”. The composer made it immortal, making the world often to remember those a few sonorous notes, as soon as the first snow predicts the coming of holidays. The folk song thanked in its own way: it brought enormous popularity to its creator. 

Some musical historians tell that the composer was working on “Shchedryk” for all his life. Maybe it’s a hyperbolic thought. But there’s something in it. Maybe the constant sadness for an ideal. 

The son of Podil priest, the author of numerous fabulous creations, has put all of this sadness to a very accurate work on only four sounds of the musical theme. He was getting back to “Shchedryk” again and again, but he couldn’t find the version, that he would definitely find optimal and would bring to the public. The first version of the improved song came out in 1901, the second in 1906-1908, the third – in 1914. only the fourth version of 1916 was brought up by Leontovych to the public opinion. “Shchedryk” was performed by a chore of Kyivan university. The success, it seemed, has covered all of the previous doubts, that didn’t leave the composer alone for such a long time. But when in three year appeared one more version of the song, the conclusion was obvious – Leontovych still didn’t get tired to miss his ideal. 

It is said so, that recently, during the disclosure of some secret documents, there appeared almost a detective (on that time – almost trivial) story of Leontovych life and death. The government was not happy to see him any more, and they say the “Ukrainian patriot” deserved a brand. On the night from 22 to 23 of January 1921 the musician was killed by a regular stripe hound. 

The same year but in autumn, “Shchedryk”, that missed its step father – went to foreign lands. The song crossed the ocean, got to Carnegie Hall, New York, where on Oct. 5 was first heard by the foreign audience. 

15 more years passed – before Peter Vil’hous’ky created the English lyrics for “Shchedryk”. Except the sound of bird’s wings, the new care-taker of the song heard the church holiday bells in the frosty air. They not only became the main instruments for the overseas “Shchedryk”, but enriched the atmosphere of the local New Year’s celebration. 

Besides, the Christmas song  since the pre-Christian times, long-long time ago, was a part of the pagan celebration of the new year, and turned into the Christmassy then. The tender musical present from Ukrainian to the whole world glorified the birth of Christ and brought the bright happiness to the people. 

Since that time “Shchedryk» or “the Carol of the bells” time after time convinced the whole planet that the song can do a lot of things, particularly fly. 

Olga KLEYMENOVA