Origins The conductor of the
Ukrainian Republic Capella,
Oleksander Koshyts, commissioned the
Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych to create a song based on traditional
Ukrainian folk music. The resulting choral composition, "", was based on a four-note
motif Leontovych found in the Ukrainian anthology. The original Ukrainian title translates to "the generous one", or is perhaps derived from the Ukrainian word for bountiful (), Leontovych wrote the tune for the song while he was living and working in
Pokrovsk (Eastern Ukraine) between 1904 and 1908. It was first performed by the Ukrainian students at
Kyiv University in December 1916. It was introduced to Western audiences by the
Ukrainian National Chorus during its 1919 concert tour of Europe. The tour was organized as a way to generate support for the fledgling
independent nation of Ukraine, which had declared its independence, but which the Bolshevik government in Moscow refused to recognize. The song premiered in the United States on October 5, 1922, to a sold-out audience at
Carnegie Hall and the American audience fell in love with the Ukrainian song. The original work was intended to be sung
a cappella by mixed four-voice choir. Two other versions exist by anonymous writers: one from 1957 entitled "Come Dance and Sing" and one from 1972 that begins "Hark to the bells". American recordings by various artists began to surface on the radio in the 1940s. == Notable recordings ==