Carols of Birds, Bells, and Sacred Hymns from Ukraine

Book excerpt: Ukraine’s abundant heritage of singing includes thousands of carols. This anthology introduces an ancient culture that is nevertheless new to world audiences. In this book, the carols become a prism through which all of Ukraine’s history, culture, and vibrant spirit are brought to light. It includes the internationally celebrated “Carol of the Bells”—in its original version as a winter song of gratitude and resilience, and it covers sacred and secular pieces for the Christmas to New Year’s season: from early chant to elaborate new choral fantasies. Transliterations and translations make the carols accessible to a broad audience. Along with music scores, it shares the stories behind each carol: historical context, biographies of composers, explanations of winter rituals. Written during Russia’s war on Ukraine, the book is also journalistic. These carols often carry gripping narratives of a unique choral activism that has helped Ukraine, its language, and its people to survive.