The Actual History of “Carol of the Bells”

“Carol of the Bells” is often enjoyed by American audiences as a Christmas song, but the song has a longer history than Christmas! In the early 1900’s, Ukrainian composer, Mykola Leontovych, was commissioned by the conductor of the Ukrainian Republic Choir to create a song based upon Ukrainian folk chants.

The resulting song -entitled “Shchedryk” was originally intended to celebrate the coming of spring (the pre-Christian new year in Ukraine). “Shchedryk” details a story welcoming a promising new year when a swallow flies into a family household. This original song premiered in the United States in 1922 at Carnegie Hall.

How did “Carol of the Bells” become associated with Christmas?

Peter Wilhousky (who was American but may or may not have had Ukrainian roots in his family) created lyrics in English and copyrighted them in 1936. His lyrics reference Christmas, and because his version was widely played on the radio at NBC, American audiences became familiar with “Carol of the Bells” as a Christmas song.