How did the Ukrainian song Shchedryk reach Carnegie Hall?

Shchedryk at Carnegie Hall

«Щедрик» у Карнегі-хол

5 October 1922. Shchedryk is an old New Year song in which a swallow promises a family a good year.

Where: Ukraine

What happened

Shchedryk is an old New Year song in which a swallow promises a family a good year. The composer Mykola Leontovych made his choral arrangement of it, first sung in Kyiv in 1916. Oleksandr Koshyts's Ukrainian choir took it on a tour of Europe and America, and on 5 October 1922 sang it at Carnegie Hall in New York. Later an American, Peter Wilhousky, wrote English words to the tune, and as Carol of the Bells it became one of the best-known Christmas songs in the world.

Say it

«Щедрик» — це українська пісня про ластівку.

Shchedryk is a Ukrainian song about a swallow.

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