In Bloomington, Indiana University's Music Library and School of International and Global Studies hosted the poster exhibition "Four Notes from Ukraine: From Shchedryk to Carol of the Bells." This event became one of the University's major holiday events dedicated to the more than century-long history of Leontovych's famous musical masterpiece, the Ukrainian carol "Shchedryk". The exhibition tells the story of its creation in 1916 and its subsequent triumphant spread in an English translation called "Carol of the Bells" throughout Europe and the United States.
This was reported by the author of the project Tina Peresunko.
"The poster exhibition "Four notes from Ukraine: From Shchedryk to Carol of the Bells", for the first time in the language of archival documents, tells the story of the 100-year history of Mykola Leontovych's musical masterpiece in the United States: "From the composer's composition of the work in 1916 and the appearance of its English-language version, Carol of the Bells, 20 years later, to the present day, when in 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the 100th anniversary of the first performance of the melody in the United States was celebrated at Carnegie Hall in New York," says Tina Peresunko.
Among the exhibits are the manuscript of "Shchedryk" written by Mykola in 1916 and documents tracing the melody's route in the United States and Europe, namely materials from archives and libraries in Ukraine, the United States, Canada and the Czech Republic. Materials from the private collection of Anatoliy Paladiychuk and the Leontovych Institute are also on display.
"The unique video of Oleksandr Koshyts conducting at the 1939 New York World's Fair from the Ukrainian Museum and Library (Stamford, USA) will hopefully become a bright encouragement to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the conductor's birth next year, not only in Ukraine, but also in the United States. After all, the maestro lived in New York for more than 20 years of his life and became a US citizen in 1935," the author of the project added.
Tina Peresunko, the author of the project, noted that despite the fact that in 1936 "Carol of the Bells" was called a "Ukrainian carol", for decades the melody was often mistakenly called "Russian" and the composer Mykola Leontovych was called "Russian". After the Bolshevik occupation of Ukraine and Leontovych's murder, this information was suppressed. The Ukrainian diaspora in the United States tried to recover the truth. In 1971, on the 50th anniversary of his death, a memorial concert was held to condemn Russian terror and occupation and to emphasize the role of culture in the struggle for national identity.
The opening of the exhibition attracted a wide audience, including students, teachers and representatives of the Diaspora. Representatives of the University spoke at the event. In particular, Professor Halyna Goldberg, Director of the Robert F. Burns Institute of Russian and East European Studies, recalled the tragic fate of composer Mykola Leontovich, who was shot by a Russian security officer in Bolshevik-occupied Vinnytsia in 1921, and Ukrainian artists killed during Stalin's terror in 1937-1938.
"Today, culture has again become a central issue, as the aggressor has claimed that the works of Ukrainian artists are 'our common literary and cultural heritage' and then used this claim as a key pretext for its military forces to cross actual, physical state borders in order to destroy Ukraine's sovereignty. Thus, the preservation of Ukraine's sovereignty is inextricably linked to the preservation of its rich, diverse, and multi-ethnic culture," Goldberg said.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova, praised the exhibition, calling it a true feast for the soul. In addition, the event was accompanied by the solemn singing of the Slavic Choir.
"The exhibition on "Shchedryk" and "Carol of the Bells" by Fulbright Scholar Tina Peresunko at my alma mater Indiana University is a real feast for the soul. It tells the story of an incredible melody that every Ukrainian and every American knows and that has united our nations for over 100 years. It intertwines Ukraine's eternal struggle for freedom, our independence in 1918, the creative cultural diplomacy of the Ukrainian government and Symon Petliura personally, our rich culture, and the genius of composer Mykola Leontovych and conductor Oleksandr Koshytsia, who presented this choral masterpiece to America," said Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova.
According to Markarova, this melody also reflects the tragedy of the occupation of Ukraine by the Soviet government and the resulting decades of destruction of Ukraine.
After the exhibition at Indiana University, the exhibit will begin a tour of U.S. universities to educate the world about Mykola Leontovych's unique heritage and contribution to world culture.
Photo by Victoria Savchuk
Author: Inna Mikhno