Carol of the Bells - Read what the legend tells!
Legend says that at the stroke of midnight on the evening when Jesus was born every bell on the earth begin ringing joyously together. It is said there is no sound quite like it. The song Carol of the Bells based on an old Ukranian motif probably comes from that legend.
This traditional song starts out soft and gets progressively louder as each voice adds tintinnabulation and then the song softly fades away. The tune for this song Carol of the Bells was written by Mykola Dmytrovich and was based on an old Ukrainian melody. The words that are used today were written by American composer Peter J. Wihousky. Peter grew up singing in Russian-American choirs. This conversion didn’t happen until twenty years after the first composition. He also added some lyrics to Carol of the Bells.
The song Carol of the Bells became so popular in the United States it became part of the holiday celebration. Over time the song became part of television advertisements for champagne. It is said that the champagne was as tasteful and sparkling as the music. The melody was utilized in three other Christmas songs. The distinguishing features of the song are in the first line of the song. Whenever I hear this song Carol of the Bells it reminds me of a time when I was a little girl and I would go to church with my grandma.
You can find different versions of the music Carol of the Bells online as well as the words. You can search for the version of Carol of the Bells you like and print out in bold font for easier reading. Among the different artists I found that have sung Carol of the bells are: Harry Simeone Chorale in 1959, The Four Seasons in 1966, Johnny Mathis in 1972 and Kenny Rogers in 1981.The lyrics are pretty much the same. I did a search of at least 10 different links and found the words to be the same. The sites were all different, some were colorful, some just basic just listing the words, others had all kinds of Christmas carols to choose form.
You know you like to sing them now you can have the words to the music. I know next year on the stroke of midnight when Jesus was born I will be listening, out in the cold night air, for the sound of a joyful ring that rings all around the world. Go out, hopefully you will hear it too. For anyone who hasn’t heard this song Carol of the Bells check it throw cares away Christmas is here. Ding dong ding dong.