Carol of the Bells - David Hicken

Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy this amazing version of "Schedrik" on piano. Known in the U.S as "Carol of the Bells" this beautiful, famous melody actually finds its roots in a small Ukrainian village, penned by a simple school choir director- Mykola Leontovych. Lyrics taken from traditional Ukrainian folk songs, this piece speaks of a swallow coming to a window, bringing songs of hope for the upcoming springtime. This message cannot ring truer for Ukraine today. After almost a year of perpetual destruction, death and darkness hammered by the enemy, a soft song of hope for the renewal of life is surely a great comfort. Mykola Leontovich was killed January 23, 1921 by Soviet assassins- only a year before his song was performed at Carnegie Hall. He never got to see how impactful his song was to everyone. Though Russia tried to silence the beauty and light of Leontovich&music by murder, the song still reverberates around the world over one hundred years later. And though Russia still tries to silence the spirit of Ukraine through war today, Ukraine will continue to stand and be heard. Forever.