Concert Choir Program Notes

Nov. 29, 2022

Shchedryk

Created by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, this choral piece is commonly thought to be a Christmas carol titled, “Carol of the Bells.” Although they share the same melody line, the original piece is actually about the celebration of the new year. The lyrics of this song speak about a swallow informing their master that the ewes have given birth and that the master will have a lot of money by selling the lambkins. The swallow then goes on to say, “if not money, then chaff from all the grain you will harvest, you have a dark-eyebrowed beautiful wife.” The lyrics are very subjective and the meaning will vary from person to person. Something very interesting is that the yellow in the Ukrainian flag symbolizes wheat as that is Ukraine’s most bountiful crop, while the blue symbolizes the sky. This is important to keep in mind as Ukraine is very arts and farm oriented. Mykola Leontovych combines the values of Ukraine with the music as well as with the lyrics in this piece. Growing up in a Ukrainian home, I heard this song all the time and always basked in the absolute beauty that it portrays. As you listen, look out for the forte at measure 21 which encompasses the climax of the song. It’s truly very beautiful and will have you at the edge of your seat.

Written by Steven Baczynskyj

Bountiful evening, bountiful evening, a New Year's carol;

A little swallow flew into the household

and started to twitter,

to summon the master:

"Come out, come out, O master,

look at the sheep pen.

there the ewes have given birth

and the lambkins have been born

Your goods [livestock] are great,

you will have a lot of money, by selling them.

Your goods [livestock] are great,

you will have a lot of money, by selling them.

If not money, then chaff from all the grain you will harvest

you have a dark-eyebrowed beautiful wife."

Bountiful evening, bountiful evening, a New Year's carol,

A little swallow flew.

“Go Where I Send Thee”, is a traditional gospel song in the African American community. The origin of the song is unknown, however some scholars believe it to be related to the English folk song, “The Twelve apostles”. This particular version of “Go Where I Send Thee”, for SSATBB choir, was arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory who have been a dynamic writing team since the early 1990s. The piece uses a cumulative structure, like the familiar “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and starts with an introduction and the first line, “one for the little bitty baby, the baby boy, born in Bethlehem”. Slowly, the piece accumulates more and more biblical references, each with a new rhythm adding these to the previously stated lines, but always returning to the main theme.

Written by Will Riis