Carol of the Bells: Difference between revisions

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* A skit the December 12, 1990, episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' purported to be an advertisement for the musical album ''A Dysfunctional Family Christmas''. This included a parody of "Carol of the Bells" featuring [[Dana Carvey]] singing the lyrics "Leave me alone, please go away...".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90idysfunctional.phtml |title=Dysfunctional Family Christmas |publisher=Snltranscripts.jt.org |date= |accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref>
* A skit the December 12, 1990, episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' purported to be an advertisement for the musical album ''A Dysfunctional Family Christmas''. This included a parody of "Carol of the Bells" featuring [[Dana Carvey]] singing the lyrics "Leave me alone, please go away...".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90idysfunctional.phtml |title=Dysfunctional Family Christmas |publisher=Snltranscripts.jt.org |date= |accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref>
* The song appears in the 1994 film ''[[The Santa Clause]]''. A group of people are singing it near the opening of the film.
* The song appears in the 1994 film ''[[The Santa Clause]]''. A group of people are singing it near the opening of the film.
* A parody entitled "Ding, Fries are Done", about a [[Burger King]] employee, has been featured on the [[Dr. Demento]] radio show since 1994.[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ding-fries-are-done]
* An a cappella rendition of the song, performed by the character Mr. Mackey, was featured on the episode "[[Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics]]" from ''[[South Park]]'''s third season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103391/mackey-of-the-bells |title=Mackey of the Bells |publisher=southparkstudios.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-01}}</ref>
* An a cappella rendition of the song, performed by the character Mr. Mackey, was featured on the episode "[[Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics]]" from ''[[South Park]]'''s third season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103391/mackey-of-the-bells |title=Mackey of the Bells |publisher=southparkstudios.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-01}}</ref>
* [[The Muppets]]' 2009 parody of the song climaxes with a large bell (set up by [[Animal (Muppet)|Animal]]) falling on the increasingly frenetic [[Beaker (Muppet)|Beaker]].<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ&sns=em |title=The Muppets: Ringing of the Bells |publisher=YouTube |date=2009-12-10 |accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref>{{better source|date=December 2013|reason=this shows it existed, but not that it's notable}}
* [[The Muppets]]' 2009 parody of the song climaxes with a large bell (set up by [[Animal (Muppet)|Animal]]) falling on the increasingly frenetic [[Beaker (Muppet)|Beaker]].<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ&sns=em |title=The Muppets: Ringing of the Bells |publisher=YouTube |date=2009-12-10 |accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref>{{better source|date=December 2013|reason=this shows it existed, but not that it's notable}}

Revision as of 14:40, 4 November 2015

The signature repeating four-note motif of the song. Playⓘ

"Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1904 with lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky. The song is based on a folk chant known in Ukrainian as "Shchedryk". Wilhousky's lyrics are copyrighted, although the original musical composition is not.

The song is recognized by a four-note ostinato motif (see image to the right). It has been arranged many times for different genres, styles of singing and settings and has been covered by artists and groups of many genres: classical, metal, jazz, rock, and pop. The piece has also been featured in films, television shows, and parodies.

Background

Origins

Main article: Shchedryk (song)
Composer Mykola Leontovych

The song is based on a traditional folk chant. It was associated with the coming New Year, which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was originally celebrated with the coming of spring in April. (This explains why the original Ukrainian text speaks about a swallow returning and lambs being born.)

With the introduction of Christianity to Ukraine, and the adoption of the Julian calendar, the celebration of the New Year was moved from April to January, and the holiday with which the chant was originally associated became Malanka (Ukrainian: Щедрий вечір Shchedry vechir), the eve of the Julian New Year (the night of 13–14 January in the Gregorian calendar). The songs sung for this celebration are known as Shchedrivky.

The original Ukrainian text tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful and bountiful year that the family will have.[1] The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful". The period for the birth of animals and the return of swallows to Ukraine, however, does not correspond to the current calendar season of winter.

Composition and translation

It was introduced to Western audiences by the Ukrainian National Chorus during its concert tour of Europe and the Americas, where it premiered in the United States on October 5, 1921 at Carnegie Hall.[2] A copyrighted English text was created by Peter Wilhousky in the 1930s,[citation needed] and since then it has been performed and sung during the Christmas season. Its initial popularity stemmed largely from Wilhousky's ability to perform it to a wide audience in his role as arranger for the NBC Symphony Orchestra, trained especially for Arturo Toscanini.[3] The song would later be assisted to further popularity by featuring in television advertisements for champagne.[3] An alternate English version ("Ring, Christmas Bells") featuring more Nativity-based lyrics, written by Minna Louise Hohman in 1947,[4] is also common.[citation needed]

The original work was intended to be sung a cappella by mixed four-voice choir. Two other settings of the composition were also created by Leontovych: one for women's choir (unaccompanied) and another for children's choir with piano accompaniment. These are rarely performed or recorded.

Notable performances

Recordings

(In chronological order)

Film, television, parodies, and other media

References

  1. ^ "Quote from Rice University News". Media.rice.edu. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  2. ^ "'Carol of the Bells' wasn't originally a Christmas song". Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  3. ^ a b Carol of the Bells, Sean Spurr, Carols.co, Accessed July 26, 2011.[unreliable source?]
  4. ^ "Information about the piece". Cpdl.org. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  5. ^ "Song on Pandora". Pandora. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. ^ Christmas Portrait - Tracklist on Allmusic.com
  7. ^ Christmas Wishes - Tracklist on Allmusic.com
  8. ^ Christmas Eve and Other Stories - Tracklist on Allmusic.com
  9. ^ "Single on Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  10. ^ "Billboard Music Charts". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  11. ^ "Yahoo Music". yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  12. ^ "Home Alone (1990) Soundtracks". imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  13. ^ "Home Alone (1990) Full Cast and Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  14. ^ "Dysfunctional Family Christmas". Snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  15. ^ "Mackey of the Bells". southparkstudios.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  16. ^ "The Muppets: Ringing of the Bells". YouTube. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  17. ^ Carp, Jesse (2011-12-09). "Community Watch: Episode 10 - Regional Holiday Music". TV Blend. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  18. ^ "American Horror Story (TV Series) Unholy Night (2012) Soundtracks". imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-12-24.
  19. ^ "Amazon.com: Batman: Arkham Origins - Original Video Game Score: Christopher Drake: MP3 Downloads". Retrieved 2014-12-23.
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