"Jikhav Kozak za Dunaj" ( uk, Їхав козак за Дунай, link=no, trans. ''The Cossack Rode beyond the Danube'') is one of the most famous

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

folk songs. It was written by the Ukrainian

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and poet . Pymonenko U pohid 1902

Under the name "Schöne Minka" it became popular in Germany too.Gretchen Rowe Clements. ''Situating Schubert: Early Nineteenth-century Flute Culture''. ProQuest, 2007. . "According to an 1830 review in the AMA, there was a time when Schöne Minka was 'whistled, hummed, and muttered on every street corner'. The Lied was popular for some time, and many composers used it in arrangements and variation sets, including the popular flutist–composer Carl Keller. Beethoven first set Schöne Minka in his 1816 collection ''Lieder verschiedener Völker'' (Songs of Various Nations), and then again in his Variations, Op. 107, at the request of the Scottish music publisher George Thomson." The German title comes from the first words of a poem by

Christoph August Tiedge Christoph August Tiedge (14 December 1752, Gardelegen - 8 March 1841, Dresden) was a German poet. Biography Tiedge was the eldest son of the rector of the Gelehrten Stadtschule in Gardelegen and his wife, and studied law in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. ...

, "Schöne Minka, ich muß scheiden".

Compositions

Franciszek Lessel Franciszek Lessel (1780 – 26 December 1838) was a Polish composer. Life Lessel was born in Puławy, Poland. His father, Wincenty Ferdynand Lessel, was a pianist and composer of Czech origin who served as his first teacher. In 1799 Francisz ...

: "Jichaw Kozak z za Dunaju", Eight Variations in a minor on a Russian Theme for piano, Op. 15, no. 1. 1814 (earliest known example of "Minka" reception in Western professional music) *

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

: "Schöne Minka, ich muss scheiden!", ''Lieder verschiedener Völker'' (Songs of Various Nations), no. 16. 1816 * Ludwig van Beethoven: "Schöne Minka",

Ten National Airs with Variations for Flute and Piano The Ten National Airs with Variations for Flute and Piano, Op. 107, were composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1818 and 1819.http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/117082.html#tvf=tracks&tv=about> Beethoven wrote this piece based on folk-derived melod ...

, Op. 107, no. 7. 1818–19 *

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...

: Nine Variations in C minor on a Russian Theme "Schöne Minka", Op. 40, J. 179 for piano *

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the Transition from Classical to Romantic music, transition from the Classical period (music), Classical to the Romantic ...

: Adagio, Variations and Rondo in A major, Op. 78 "Schöne Minka" for flute cello and piano *

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

recorded a swing version of "Minka" in the 1940s in the United States *

Yury Kazakov Yuri Pavlovich Kazakov (russian: Юрий Павлович Казаков; August 8, 1927 – November 29, 1982) was a Russian author of short stories, often compared to Anton Chekhov and Ivan Bunin. Born in Moscow, he started out as a jazz musici ...

and

Willard Palmer Willard A. "Bill" Palmer (1917–1996) was an American musician, composer, and music educator, accomplished in the accordion and piano. He invented a 'quint' system which was later patented by Titano as used in their line of converter (or "quint") ...

: Variations on a Ukrainian Theme, Їхав козак за Дунай * Jill Ann Jones arranged "Minka – Russian Folk Song" with winter and bells themed lyrics in 1993 which became popular with schoolchildren choirshttp://wilkinsonmusic.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/3/23835767/junior_choir_songs-winter2015.pdf

Music

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Lyrics

Schöne Minka lyrics and English translation

Minka lyrics from Jill Ann Jones arrangement

Merry bells go tingalingle, toes and fingers freeze and tingle. With our friends we love to mingle while the snowflakes fall. Boys and girls are out together, clad in coats of fur and leather, made to brave the coldest weather when the sleighbells ring. Sleighbells ring, tingaling, steeple bells, ding dong ding. Tingaling, tingaling, ding dong ding; ding dong ding. As we ride our song goes ringing. through the air its echoes winging, 'til the wind seems full of singing, as we speed along. Through the town and by the river where the birches sigh and quiver and the birds are silent never, joining in our song.

References