Carol of the Bells – Shchedryk (Piano Solo)

Composition / songwriting: Mykola Leontovych · Arrangement: Iryna Martynova

Shchedryk by Mykola Leontovych, arranged by Iryna Martynova for intermediate solo piano. The melody is also known as Carol of the Bells.

Instrumentation: Piano solo
Level: Intermediate
Format: Printable PDF
Pages: 2

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Carol of the Bells – Shchedryk (Piano Solo)

Score sample

A sample page will be available here soon.

From a Ukrainian New Year song to a Christmas classic

Mykola Leontovych’s Shchedryk is based on a Ukrainian New Year song in which a swallow announces prosperity to a household. Its repeated four-note motif shapes the choral arrangement, performed in Kyiv in 1916 and later heard internationally.

In 1936 Peter Wilhousky wrote new English words under the title Carol of the Bells. They describe Christmas bells and are not a translation of the Ukrainian text.

This edition

Iryna Martynova independently arranged and engraved this two-page edition for intermediate solo piano. It contains no English lyrics. A separate violin-and-piano edition is available for two players.

Historical background: National Library of the Czech Republic.