The Unbelievable Story of the Carol of the Bells

Carol of the Bells is my favorite "Christmas" song because it's Haunting and just the most Epic of Christmas songs that I would listen to it out of the holiday season, so learning all this is really really cool! It's a much deeper song.

It makes sense that this song was included on a goth cover album, Excelsis: A Dark Noel.
This Ascension and Arcanta perform the song Carol of the Bells on it.
Yah it is covered twice
It happens to be one of my favorite Christmas albums.

I originally knew of this as the Ukrainian Bell Carol. I think I saw it titled as such on sheet music once, and always wondered the Ukraine connection. It's about the only traditional Christmas song I enjoy, so thanks for the coverage.

Came here for the carol, stayed for the history.

Thank you for this video

I just know that I've loved the song since the moment I first heard it.

I always found Carol of the Bells haunting. Probably due to singing in twice in high school choir as an a capella piece.

Unfortunately every time I listen any version of this all i can hear is ding fries are done.

Minor key = scary or sad
That's why this song rocks, especially in a season with so much sacrine sweetness

Wow, you really managed to tie together Ukrainian culture, language and history, Russian hegemony and oppression, the way Ukrainians have fought for their identity, heritage and freedom, how music finds audience and purpose, connects and transforms - all into the story of Schedryk. Beautifully done. ❤️

Thanks for the video. I love this song but most other Christmas songs too :)

Sounds like listening to my singular favorite Christmas song is just a little way to support Ukraine

"Home alone" actually came to my mind a lot during the first phase of Russias full invasion. The Ukrainians seemed a bit like clever Kevins, creatively trapping and punishing the much bigger, brutish and overconfident home invaders.

thank you for a thoughtful and extensively researched video. Us here in Ukraine appreciate people talking about our culture and history, especially now that our neighbors try so vehemently to deny and destroy it, claiming that we're just a russian minority. The Dies Irae bit was something I learned today thanks to you, and it totally makes sense.

Nothing wrong with songs changing meaning and culture.

Look at "Škoda lasky" becoming "Rosamunde" and then "Roll out the barrel"

Or "O du lieber augustin" becoming "Daar word aan de deur geklopt" in the Netherlands. It happens all the time.

I believe Ukrainian orthodox Catholics celebrate Christmas not in December

To my ears, this song has always had the feel of a dirge, something one might sing at a funeral. For a prime example of this, there's a band called Mae who put out an excellent, jazzy rendition of this song that's been living rent-free in my head while I've been going through some pretty heavy stuff this particular holiday season. Their rendition evokes a scene of unfolding tragedy in the shadows of holiday cheer, a sense of real desperation hidden behind layers of mirth. Look it up here, and give it a listen for yourself. 🎶🎄🎶

The song is haunting

I challenge that Toby Fox is the Lord of Leit Motif
(note: this is more me saying Toby could be better, not that he is bci wouldn't know how to actually judge that, but that doesn't sound as cool as raising a challenge)

I'm a polyglot. I adore learning languages and etymology. The American sign language word for Birth and Heaven "rhyme". They look almost exactly the same just one low at the hip height and the other at neck height. And it's the first full language since Christianity became the global standard. Every other language has pre Christian roots (yes even English). So finding little Easter eggs like that are amazing to me. And you clearly have the same knack for finding Easter eggs I do. Well you've earned yourself a subscribe.

One of my favourite versions of this song is Immanuel by Tony Anderson. It's such an atmospheric and "cinematic" rendition, that, while remaining soft and mostly acoustic, gets surprisingly intense in some moments. Definitely give it a listen if you haven't already.

Carol of the bells is my favorite and the fact it came from folk music just man. Funny because thats a throughline in songs (especially more chior songs) i adore.

Ill have to listen to that early/original version at some point. Love me some history learning escelent video


Also the wrap arround to quoincidental Dies Irae got me real good XD.

As a Ukrainian - thank you for this very professionally made and well researched video! It is rare to see people outside Ukraine who really know and understand this story about Shchedryk in particular and history of Ukraine in general as well as you do. It is very valuable for us!

I love Eileen. I found her at the start of the war. Pre 2022 i could barely show you Ukraine on the map, much less ANY history. 3 years later i know more about Ukraine and its culture than i do most other countries outside the USA and maybe the UK. Merry Christmas 🎄 Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 Heroyam Slava 🫶 Razom do peremohy 🇺🇸 🇺🇦

Vocal fry: a video essay

What a bunch of incoherent nonsense! The video just rambles on incessantly without any structure or goal. By the end you will have ZERO idea why it's a Christmas song. The video bounces around discussing how a few notes of the song were used here and there throughout history. None of it has any real relevance to the subject of how it became a Christmas staple. Then if you weren't confused enough he ominously mentions the composer of this music made choices like writing this song that cost him his life without any further explanation.

This channel is ridiculous and chaotic seemingly just for chaos' sake.

For an amazing arrangement and performance of the song, Google "Cast In Bronze Carol of the Bells".

I love absolutely love the carol of the bells. I kinda knew it wasn't Christmas but here in America it is. .. i love this.

A lot of our culture comes from a lot of the pagan beliefs and cultures that sometime in history turned into Christian beliefs. Yes, it is americas fault like a lot of other things some yes, at times problematic and others iffy.

Ding fries are done 🗣️
Ding fries are done 🔊
Ding fries are done 🗣️🔥
Ding fries are done 🔊🔥🔥

I gotta run🔥🔥
I gotta run 🗣️🗣️
I gotta run 🔥
I gotta run 🔊

I work at Burger King making flame-broiled whoppers I wear paper hats🗣️🔥🗣️

Would you like an apple pie with that?🔥
Would you like an apple pie with that?🔊🔥

Ding fries are done 🔥
Ding fries are done 🗣️
Ding fries are done 🔥🔥
Ding fries are done 🔊🔥

I gotta run🗣️
I gotta run 🔊
I gotta run 🗣️
I gotta run 🔥

Don’t touch the fries in hot fat it really hurts bad and so do skin graphs🔥🔥🔥🗣️

Would you like an apple pie with that?🗣️🗣️
Would you like an apple pie with that?🔊🔥

Wait for the bell🗣️
Can’t hear the bell 🔇
Where is the bell?🗣️🔥
Wait for the bell🔊

Ding fries are done 🔥
Diiing friies are doooone🗣️🔥

Grinch? I'll Scrooge.

You got to love the hades (video game) boon for chaos and “I’m just a bill sitting on capital” from school house rock being connected through corral of the bells some how

my choir sings this every year and im always so psyched to sing it! sad to say i sang it for the last time last week.

"Happy whatever if you don't" is called "Happy New Year!"
As incredible as it sounds, we don't all believe magic exists,
but we all believe the calendar does. 🤔

I knew the story already (as I am member of an Ukrainian-Swiss choir): but you tell it very well. Thanks for it. So I can spread this link to colleagues who don't know the story 🙂

Anxiety of bells, that’s that’s the vibe I’ve always read when listening to it.

Fairytale of New York doesn't get played in grocery stores? It's probably the single most common song I hear in supermarkets in the UK!

The heralding of the arrival of what is good contains an implicit heralding of the judgement on evil. The arrival of spring implies the death of winter. The arrival of Azlan implies the judgement of the White Witch. The arrival of Luke as A New Hope implies a judgement on Palpatine and the arrival of Christ implies the judgement of those who side with evil, hence the ominous warning to those engaged in evil when goodness appears for its triumph.
Fascinating video, thank-you!

The story of a Christmas carol that ended up being the story of Ukraine's struggle against Russian Imperialism and that is more relevant today than ever. Really fascinating.

This is completely mesmerizing!! And beautiful!

How are your drawings so good but your penmanship is like chicken scratch 😂😂😂

You could also say that it was a look forward to Jesus' death

wow the New York Times has always been AWFUL. Interesting.

Actually Ukrainian song is much warmer

This was fascinating, thank you. COTB has always been my favorite xmas music, and I TOTALLY GET the ominous sort of subtext sense of it too. But it has really nothing to do with Dies Irae, I think it's just drilled into Far Western heads that major = "happy" and minor = "sad/anxious". It's rare to have a joyful song in a minor-sounding key.

Carol of the Bells always felt haunting and dark to my ears, and learning that it's tied to Ukraninian culture and it's author was (probably) murdered for desiring an independent Ukraine honestly makes it more metal than it already was.

Whoa, such a complicated story.

Why do you write backwards?

FanTASTIC essay.