Shchedryk (song)

Origin (2025) "Shchedryk" ('Bountiful Evening') is a Ukrainian , or New Year celebration song, known in English as "The Little Swallow". It tells of a swallow flying into a home to proclaim that the family will enjoy a plentiful and bountiful year. The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful". Conceptually, the Ukrainian lyrics of this song meet the definition of a , while the English content of "The Little Swallow" identifies it as a . With the introduction of Christianity to Ukraine, the celebration of the New Year was moved from March to January and "" became associated with the Feast of Epiphany, also known in Ukrainian as . The song was then sung on the night of New Year's Eve in the Julian Calendar (corresponding to 13 January on the Gregorian Calendar), which is . In modern Ukraine, the song is again sung on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13). The folk melody was one of many "well-wishing songs" performed across Ukraine on 13 January, often by girls who went singing from house to house, and were given treats. "" is incorrectly said to have been first performed by students at Kyiv University on 25 December 1916. However, the song was first performed on 29 December 1916 in the Kyiv Merchants' Assembly Hall, now part of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. The arrangement for an a cappella mixed voice choir was popularised by the Ukrainian Republic Capella directed by Koshetz when it toured Europe in 1920 and 1921 under the auspices of the newly independent Ukrainian government, with the task of promoting Ukrainian music abroad. The chorus performed more than 1000 concerts in Europe, North America, and South America. The first recording was made in New York in October 1922 for Brunswick Records. Although "Carol of the Bells" uses the melody from "", the lyrics of these two songs have nothing in common. The ostinato of the Ukrainian song suggested to Wilhousky the sound of ringing bells, so he wrote lyrics on that theme. Several other lyricists have written for the same melody, usually retaining Wilhousky's bell theme. A 1947 version, "Ring, Christmas Bells", has become a Christian devotional song. There is an English adaptation of the original Ukrainian by . == Lyrics ==

\header { tagline = ##f } \paper { paper-height = 380\mm system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator system-system-spacing.basic-distance = #15 } \layout { indent = 0 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } global = { \key g \minor \time 3/4 } soprano = \relative c'' { \global \autoBeamOff \set Staff.midiPanPosition = -0.5 \set midiInstrument = "vibraphone" bes4 a8 bes g4 \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 15 { bes4 a8 bes g4 | } \repeat unfold 4 { d'4 c8 d bes4 | } g'4 g8 g f ([es]) | d4 d8 d c ([bes]) | c4 c8 c d ([c]) | g4 g8 g g4 | d8 ([e fis g a bes]) | c ([d]) c4 bes | d,8 ([e fis g a bes]) | c ([d]) c4 bes | \repeat unfold 4 { bes4 a8 bes g4 | } } \alternative { { bes4 a8 bes g4 } { g2.~ | g2.~ | g2. | \tempo 4. = 72 d'4 c8 d \tempo 4. = 36 g,4 } } \bar "|." } alto = \relative c' { \global \autoBeamOff \set Staff.midiPanPosition = -0.5 \set midiInstrument = "oboe" R2. | \repeat volta 2 { R2.*3 | \repeat unfold 2 { g'2. | f | es | d | } \repeat unfold 4 { g4 g8 g g4 | } \repeat unfold 4 { bes4 a8 bes g4 | } \repeat unfold 4 { g4 g8 g g4 | } d2. | e4 fis g | d2. | e4 fis g | d2.( | c | f | es | } \alternative { { d2) r4 } { d2.~ | d~ | d | bes'4 a8 bes g4 } } \bar "|." } tenor = \relative c' { \global \autoBeamOff \set Staff.midiPanPosition = -0.5 \set midiInstrument = "french horn" R2. | \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 7 { R2. } es2. | bes | c | g | c4 c8 c c4 | d4 d8 d d4 | es4 es8 es es4 | d4 d8 d d4 | d2. | e | f4 (es) d | g8 ([f]) es4 d | d4 es8 es d ([c]) | d4 d8 d d4 | es es8 es f ([es]) | d4 d8 d d4 | \repeat unfold 4 { bes4 a8 bes g4 | } g2.~ | g~ | g~ | g~ | } \alternative { { g2 r4 } { \repeat unfold 3 { bes4 a8 bes g4 } R2. } } \bar "|." } bass = \relative c { \global \autoBeamOff \set Staff.midiPanPosition = -0.5 \set midiInstrument = "tuba" R2. | \repeat volta 2 { \repeat unfold 11 { R2. } es4 es8 es es4 | g g8 g g4 | c c8 c c4 | g g8 g g4 | \repeat unfold 4 { g g8 g g4 | } \repeat unfold 4 { bes a8 bes g4 | } d2. | d | d~ | d2 es4 | f2.( | es | d | c | } \alternative { { g2) r4 } { g2.~ | g~ |g | R2. } } \bar "|." } sopranoVerse = \lyricmode { Щед -- рик, щед -- рик, щед -- рі -- воч -- ка, При -- ле -- ті -- ла лас -- ті -- воч -- ка, Ста -- ла со -- бі ще -- бе -- та -- ти, Гос -- по -- да -- ря ви -- кли -- ка -- ти. Вий -- ди, вий -- ди, гос -- по -- да -- рю, По --ди -- ви --ся на ко -- ша -- ру. Там о -- веч -- ки по -- ко -- ти -- лись, a яг -- нич -- ки на -- ро -- ди -- лись. В~те -- бе то -- вар весь хо -- ро -- ший, Бу -- деш ма -- ти мір -- ку гро -- шей, В~те -- бе то -- вар весь хо -- ро -- ший, Бу -- деш ма -- ти мір -- ку гро -- шей, В~те -- бе жін -- ка чор -- но -- бро -- ва. Хоч не гро -- ші, то по -- ло -- ва, В~те -- бе жін -- ка чор -- но -- бро -- ва. Щед -- рик, щед -- рик M __ лас -- ті -- воч -- ка. } altoVerse = \lyricmode { Ста -- ла со -- бі ще -- бе -- та -- ти, \repeat unfold 55 { \skip 1 } M __ } tenorVerse = \lyricmode { \repeat unfold 20 { \skip 1 } В~те -- бе то -- вар хо -- ро -- ший, \repeat unfold 16 { \skip 1 } Хоч не гро -- ші, то по -- ло -- ва, В~те -- бе жін -- ка чор -- но -- бро -- ва. \skip 1 Щед -- рик, щед -- рик, щед -- рі -- воч -- ка, При -- ле -- ті -- ла. } bassVerse = \lyricmode { \repeat unfold 48 { \skip 1 } В~те -- бе жін -- ка } \score { \new ChoirStaff > \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "sa" \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN } \lyricsto "soprano" \sopranoVerse \new Lyrics \lyricsto "alto" \altoVerse \new Staff = "tb" \with { \consists "Merge_rests_engraver" } > \new Lyrics \with { alignAboveContext = "tb" \override VerticalAxisGroup #'staff-affinity = #DOWN } \lyricsto "tenor" \tenorVerse \new Lyrics \lyricsto "bass" \bassVerse >> \layout { } } \score { \unfoldRepeats { > } \midi { \tempo 4.=112 \context { \Score midiChannelMapping = #'instrument } \context { \Staff \remove "Staff_performer" } \context { \Voice \consists "Staff_performer" } } } == In popular culture ==

Originally a New Year celebration song, "" is not a popular Christmas song in Ukraine, unlike elsewhere in the world where the introduction of the Wilhousky lyrics became popularized since the late 1930s. Instead, in Ukraine its association with the new year is retained and the song is more often performed on the eve of the Julian Calendar new year. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 that was held in the UK city of Liverpool rather than in Ukraine, the song was sung by the Ukrainian singers and . == References ==