Ikhav Kozak za Dunaj
"Jikhav Kozak za Dunaj" (Ukrainian: Їхав козак за Дунай, trans. The Cossack Rode beyond the Danube) is one of the most famous Ukrainian folk songs. It was written by the Ukrainian philosopher and poet Semen Klimovski.

Under the name "Schöne Minka" it became popular in Germany too.[1] The German title comes from the first words of a poem by Christoph August Tiedge, "Schöne Minka, ich muß scheiden".
Compositions
- Franciszek Lessel: "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)[2]
- Ludwig van Beethoven: "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, Op. 107, no. 7. 1818–19
- Carl Maria von Weber: Nine Variations in C minor on a Russian Theme "Schöne Minka", Op. 40, J. 179 for piano
- Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Adagio, Variations and Rondo in A major, Op. 78 "Schöne Minka" for flute cello and piano
- Spike Jones recorded a swing version of "Minka" in the 1940s in the United States[3]
- Yury Kazakov and Willard Palmer: 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 choirs[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Music

Lyrics
Ukrainian lyrics | Transliteration[10] | English translation |
---|---|---|
|
|
|
Schöne Minka lyrics and English translation
Schöne Minka, ich muß scheiden, ach du fühlest nicht die Leiden, |
Lovely Minka, I must part, oh you feel not the pains, |
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
- Gretchen Rowe Clements. Situating Schubert: Early Nineteenth-century Flute Culture. ProQuest, 2007. ISBN 0549370633. "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."
- Variations No. 1, Op. 15 (Lessel): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Spike Jones – Minka. Richard L. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2021 – via YouTube.
- https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/product-media.jsp?productID=1866268
- "Minka (Two-Part ) arr. Jill Ann Jones| J.W. Pepper Sheet Music".
- "Minka Words".
- "Half an Idea".
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - http://wilkinsonmusic.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/3/23835767/junior_choir_songs-winter2015.pdf
- *The Cossack rode past the Danube* / Yikhav kozak za Dunay. Jana1889. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021 – via YouTube.