Mykola Leontovych

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Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, and teacher (born December 13 [O.S. December 1], 1877 in Monastyrok, Russian Empire [now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine] – died January 23, 1921 in Markivka, Ukrainian Soviet Republic [later Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine].

Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (Ukrainian: Микола Дмитрович Леонтович) composed more than 150 pieces, many of them for a cappella chorus, both liturgical songs or songs inspired by Ukrainian folk songs.

Leontovych's best-known work is his arrangement of "Щедрик" (Shchedryk, 1916), a traditional Ukrainian [i]shchedrivka[/i] or New Year celebration song. The song was first recorded around September 1922 in New York City by the [a=Ukrainian Republic Capella] and released in 1923 on [url=https://www.discogs.com/release/14217979]Brunswick 15034[/url]. The song became a popular Christmas carol in the English-speaking world under the title "Carol of the Bells" with new English lyrics by Ukrainian-American composer [a=Peter Wilhousky] (1936).