Carol Of The Bells Lyrics
Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,
Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send ,
on without end,
their joyful tone to every home
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong
Carol of the Bells - History
The music for the very popular holiday song, "Carol of the Bells," was created by the Ukraine's most popular composer, Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych (1877-1921). The composition from which "Carol of the Bells" was derived, the choral work Shchedryk, which was first performed by students at Kiev University in December 1916.
Only 20 years after its composition, the music from Shchedryk was converted into a carol halfway around the world. Peter J. Wilhousky (1902-1978), a composer, lyricist, and conductor who worked with Arturo Toscanini on NBC radio, adapted Leontovych's music and added some lyrics. The title chosen by New Jerseyite Wilhousky was ideal, for "Carol of the Bells" is not only extremely suitable as a characterization of the melody, but also is completely harmonious with the old Slavic legend on which Shchedryk is based. At midnight on the night Jesus was born, the legend claims, every bell in the world rang out in his honor.
Since the synthesis of "Carol of the Bells Sheet Music" in 1936, the song, also known as "Ukrainian Carol," has increasingly become a part of the celebration of Christmas in the United States.
Its public acceptance was surely boosted by the employment of the melody in a series of television advertisements for champagne. The idea, apparently, was that the champagne was as tasteful and sparkling as the music. In addition, the melody has been utilized in three other American carols. In 1947, M. L. Holman wrote "Ring, Christmas Bells." In 1957, the anonymous lyrics "Come, Dance and Sing" were published, and by 1972 another "Carol of the Bells" (this time anonymous) was published. Wilhousky's original "Carol of the Bells" can be easily distinguished from the later one by his first line, "Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells." The second "Carol of the Bells" starts with "Hark to the bells, Hark to the bells." This multiple usage of Leontovich's music for four carols as well as for a variety of other purposes is sound testimony to its quality and popular appeal.
William L. Simon, ed., Reader’s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (1981)
There is a legend that at the stroke of midnight on the evening when Jesus was born all the bells on earth suddenly began pealing joyously together of their own accord--and there was never a sound like it for majesty and grandeur. "Carol of the Bells," based on an old Ukrainian motif, probably springs from that legend, as it tells of the "sweet silver bells" that pealed joyously in unison. Traditionally, the "Carol o/the Bells" is sung quietly in the beginning, grows louder and ever louder as each voice adds to the tintinnabulation, and finally dies away to a pianissimo as the pealing gradually ceases.
Carol of the Bells Sheet Music - End
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this beautiful Piano Arrangement of Carol of the Bells Sheet Music by Award Winning concert pianist Paul Tobey. This arrangement is 6 FULL pages in length and is professionally notated. It also contains a beautiful and challenging improv piano solo by Paul Tobey.