After generations as one of the most hypnotic of Christmas songs, “Carol of the Bells” regains the political significance of its first appearance here in the United States 100 years ago.

This most indelible of carols was originally conceived by Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921) as “Shchedryk,” a New Year’s carol, in 1914. Traditionally, it is sung in Ukraine on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13). The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for “bountiful.” The original text is about a swallow that foretells great fortune with the arrival of spring:

A little swallow flew
and started to twitter,
to summon the master:
“Come out, come out, O master,
look at the sheep pen,
there the ewes have yeaned
and the lambkins have been born
Your goods are great,
you will have a lot of money.
If not money, then chaff:
you have a dark-eyebrowed wife.”
Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka,
A little swallow flew.

The song was popularized in the West, following a performance at Carnegie Hall in October 1922 by the Ukrainian Republic Cappella (a.k.a. Ukrainian National Chorus ), a group that Leontovych co-founded. The concert was the first stop of a North American tour, designed to assert Ukraine’s independence and affirm its cultural identity. Two months later, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.

American choral master Peter Wilhousky, himself of Ukrainian stock, was in the Carnegie Hall audience. He later outfitted the melody with English lyrics to create “Carol of the Bells.”

Ironically, Christmas secured not only Leontovych’s immortality, but also his doom. He happened to be visiting his parents’ house at Christmas in 1921, when a traveler came to the door and requested lodging for the night. The stranger was put up in a room with Leontovych. At sunrise, Leontovych was shot and the family robbed.

The murder may have been politically motivated. As noted, the Ukrainian Republic Cappella was active in promoting Ukrainian independence, and Leontovych had made his share of enemies. His eldest daughter recalled him saying that he had documents that would allow him to leave the country for Romania. He claimed those papers had been rifled through. Also, the stranger turned out to be an agent of the secret police.

“Carol of the Bells” was brought back to Carnegie Hall earlier this month, performed by the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America and Ukrainian Shchedryk Children’s Choir, as part of a program to support Ukraine in its latest struggle.

Peace on earth and good will toward men is an ongoing project.

PHOTOS: St. Sophia Cathedral tower bells, Kyiv; Ukrainian National Chorus on tour in 1922 (one of the stops, Princeton University); Ukrainian Shchedryk Children’s Choir at Carnegie Hall in 2022