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Carol of the Bells This appears on Christmas with You. |
Documentation The Carol of the Bells lyrics were added to the original folk music from the Ukraine by Peter Wilhousky. The lyrics and words to this popular Christmas song celebrate the festive season and its traditions such as the pealing of church bells at Christmas and of the singing of Christmas Carols - caroling. The original Ukrainian lyrics to the song was entitled Shchedryk meaning bountiful and were traditionally sang to celebrate the New Year. source - http://www.carols.org.uk From Wikipedia: The song is originally a Ukrainian folk song that was written as a winter well-wishing song. "Shchedryk" "tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have."[1] The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful." In Ukraine, the song is sung on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13th). One popular (but inaccurate) interpretation is that the original Ukrainian song is based on an old Slavic legend that every bell in the world rang in honor of Jesus on the night of his birth. It is somewhat unusual among Christmas carols for its minor key, fast pace (the lyrics are sung very quickly, often to the point of being difficult to understand) and brevity. |