Carol of the Bells, one of the most recognisable pieces of Christmas music, is almost always thought of as American. But the story of this song begins over a century ago in Ukraine, as a folk song called Shchedryk, wishing households wealth and abundance for the New Year. In this essay, I trace how Mykola Leontovych transformed a simple four-note melody into a choral masterpiece, and how the Ukrainian National Chorus, under Alexander Koshetz, carried it across a war-torn Europe to introduce the world to a culture under siege.

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Erscheinungs­datum: 23.12.2025, 10:00:00