‘Merry, merry, merry, merry, Christmas!’ the carol chirps. Its music – composed in a minor key – hooks you straight in and ushers in the inevitable jingle of Christmas as soon as it starts.. You might ...

Thus, ‘Carol of the Bells’ was born. The English language version was first recorded in 1936 by Wilhousky’s school choir during a popular radio program called "Music Appreciation Hour ...

Ukrainian singers bring 'Carol of the Bells' back to Carnegie Hall A Ukrainian chorus first performed Shchedryk in the U.S. in 1922. A century later, during another fight for freedom, ...

But “Carol of the Bells” isn’t an original. The well-known holiday tune was actually adapted from the Ukrainian composition “Shchedryk,” a New Year’s ballad that doubled as a cry for ...

It’s the historic repetition of that Ukrainian folk song over centuries – the one Americans know as “Carol of the Bells” -- that’s especially poignant and heartbreaking for a nation at war.

In the case of “Carol of the Bells,” that tale involves two music teachers, 76 choir singers, a political revolution and, believe it or not, a murder. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

"Carol of the Bells" is a Christmas staple in the U.S., but it was written by a Ukrainian composer and first came to the U.S. 100 years ago — when Ukrainians were fighting for freedom.

With their home country under occupation, Ukrainian singers moved to the United States in 1922, and that’s when the future "Carol of the Bells" made its debut in North America.

But it’s Williams who helped further cement “Carol of the Bells” into the holiday music vernacular when he included it in his 1992 score for “Home Alone,” which was set during Christmas.