The notes of ‘Shchedryk’ are now displayed on one of the walls of New York’s Carnegie Hall

A high-quality facsimile of Mykola Leontovych’s manuscript was recently presented by the Ukrainian Institute as a symbol of the historical continuity of Ukraine’s musical presence on this stage – from the North American premiere of the work in 1922 to Ukraine’s contemporary cultural diplomacy.

It was after that first performance in the United States that the melody quickly gained popularity and later became known worldwide as the Christmas carol ‘Carol of the Bells’.

‘The world premiere of the world-famous ‘Shchedryk’ took place on 29 December 1916 in the building that now houses the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. Between 1919 and 1921, the piece was presented abroad during the international tours of the Ukrainian Republican Capella, conducted by Oleksandr Koshyts, in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and other European countries. On 5 October 1922, ‘Shchedryk’ was performed at Carnegie Hall for the first time. It was performed there for the second time on 18 June 1990 by the ‘Dudaryk’ Choral Capella under the direction of Mykola Katsal. The future global hit originated as a polyphony assignment that Mykola Leontovych received from Professor Boleslav Yavorskyi. The piece draws on an archaic, pre-Christian layer of folklore, from a time when the New Year was celebrated in spring, and is based on a Volhynian variant of a shchedrivka from Polissia. Despite its apparent simplicity, Leontovych rewrote Shchedryk five times – and time has proven the perfection of the form he ultimately achieved. – said Liubov Morozova, Music Programme Manager at the Ukrainian Institute.

The collaboration between the Ukrainian Institute and Carnegie Hall began in 2022 with the concert ‘Notes from Ukraine’, marking the centenary of the American premiere of ‘Shchedryk’. The concert sold out all 2,800 seats. The evening was hosted by Martin Scorsese and Vera Farmiga, and the children’s choir Shchedryk travelled from Kyiv to New York to perform.

A recording of the concert, organised in collaboration with Razom for Ukraine and the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival is available by the link.

Today, the facsimile of the ‘Shchedryk’ manuscript – the original of which is preserved at the Institute of Manuscripts of the V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine – can be seen by all visitors to Carnegie Hall in the Composers Gallery, a memorial corridor space located near the entrance to Isaac Stern Auditorium, the building’s main hall. This public display became possible following the transfer of the facsimile to The Carnegie Hall Susan W. Rose Archives.

Razom for Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States, the Institute of Manuscripts of the V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine, the Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine, and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations.