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Music and the Fictive Dream - Fiddler on the Roof

hi friend!

I was really excited to do this assignment. Growing up, my grandma would have a book filled with CD's and I remember listening to Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera when we would go on long road trips. I chose Fiddler on the Roof because first, it reminded me of my late gram, and second, I played it in an orchestra at one point in my life - it was fun! 

Biographical Information:
Fiddler on the Roof is a 1964 musical that is based on Teyve and his Daughters (or Teyve the Dairyman) by Yiddish Author, Sholem Aleichem. The story is about a father (Teyve) and his five daughters set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905. Teyve wants to stick to his Jewish religion and traditions, though his eldest three daughters don't want to use a matchmaker to wed, they want to marry for love. On top of this struggle with his daughters, the Jews are evicted from their village and are faced with uncertainty. 

Fiddler on the Roof was the first musical theatre to surpass 3,000 performances and held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for 10 years (surpassed by Grease)! You can also find a film adaption made in 1971. 

"Tradition"
Fiddler on the Roof opens with this song, which sets the tone and theme for the entire movie - tradition. This song is performed by Teyve as he introduces the story saying, 

"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. you may ask, why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home... and how do we keep our balakce? That I can tell you in one work... tradition." 

The song also goes on to describe the social classes in Anatevka and how traditional roles contribute to the village. The Fiddler on the Roof is said to symbolize the fragile balance of life in the village, one miss-step and you could fall and break your neck (as stated in the lyrics). 

The song itself has a lot of Jewish-inspired traditional sound to it. The violin solo is most prominent providing a steady tempo at the beginning. The song then becomes cheerful adding drums, winds, brass, and tambourines. Dynamics are an important part of this song as well, it goes from quiet to loud between dialogue and helps introduce the musical as a whole. The disjunct melody can be found throughout the entire musical. 

Tradition wasn't actually written right away for the musical. It wasn't until writers Robbins and Harnick discussed what the musical was about. They were worried it didn't have an opening and couldn't figure out what exactly the musical's theme was. They finally figured out and decided to write the opening song to match the theme of the musical. 

Personal Opinion:
Like I said in the beginning, I have a lot of personal emotion connected to Fiddler on the Roof. It reminds me of my late grandma and our road trips we would take together from Fairbanks to Tok, or Tok to Valdez throughout my youth. I also remember telling her my orchestra was going to play Fiddler on the Roof songs and she was so excited to hear. I think Fiddler on the Roof was universally popular because it addressed so many things that many could relate to, including racism, inevitable change, and the importance of tradition (and the importance of adapting to the new world). The entire musical has great songs (I'll add those below. My favorites are, "Matchmaker" and "If I Were a Rich Man" - you might be familiar with Gwen Stefani's version of this song, "Rich Girl").
(Matchmaker)

(If I Were a Rich Man)
My inspiration for this post. My late gramps and gram Hosken.
Sources:
Brock, Jerry. Harnick, Sheldon. "Prologue / Tradition /  Main Title." Fiddler On The Roof. EMI Records. USA. 1971.

Brock, Jerry. Harnick, Sheldon. "Matchmaker." Fiddler On The Roof. EMI Records. USA. 1971.

Brock, Jerry. Harnick, Sheldon. "If I Were A Rich Man." Fiddler On The Roof. EMI Records. USA. 1971.

Lehigh University. "Fiddler on the Roof: Love's Triumph Over Tradition." Lehigh University WodPress. https://wordpress.lehigh.edu/mbb220/fiddler-on-the-roof-loves-triumph-over-tradition/. 2018, November 5.

Katz, Noel. "Fiddler on the Roof." Musical Writers. https://www.musicalwriters.com/studying-broadway-musicals/fiddler-on-the-roof/. Accessed 22 March 2021.

Comments

  1. Arlene KamuckMarch 24, 2021 at 12:50 PM

    When I was in high school I remember seeing the book. I didn't know it was about the boys daughters not wanting to use a matchmaker to get married. It reminds me of our tradition when my grandparents were young. They were the ones that got married to who their parents set them up with. I can't imagine doing that now. I would be afraid of living with someone I don't love. It was an interesting read.

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  2. AylaMarch 25, 2021 at 11:36 AM

    I had never heard of Fiddler on the Roof, but I had heard the song Matchmaker, or at least parts of it. I can see how this song, and the entire work, would have some very interesting social commentary. Tradition is a large part of social life, and the entire work sounds like it was very focused on tradition, and the pros and cons of it, since the girls didn’t want to obey tradition and be in an arranged marriage (neither would I). From your post, it sounds like the deeper message in this work isn’t just the importance of tradition, but also the importance of being able to adapt, while keeping tradition alive. I usually don’t enjoy musicals, I’m not really sure why. I haven’t seen very many, I usually either watch a movie, or listen to a song, so a mix of the two tends to seem strange to me (besides the typical kid shows where everyone sings all the time, I tend to expect it then). The musicals that I have seen usually end with me wishing the people would just talk instead of sing everything. However, this one sounded pretty interesting, and the singing didn’t seem as out of place to me as it usually does. Part of that might have been because I was just listening to it, and couldn’t see anything that was actually happening. I can see how it would be fun to listen to on a long drive. My mom and I used to listen to audio books on car rides. It was a great way to stay entertained; I’m sure a musical on CD would work just as well. It sounds like this work has been through several adaptions, from a book, to a Broadway musical, to a movie. I found an article that talks about some more adaptions that were made to it for another Broadway performance. It does a pretty good job of showing how the story has been slightly modified through time. Here is the link in case you’re interested: https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2019/12/08/not-your-fathers-fiddler-the-latest-broadway-tour-of-fiddler-on-the-roof-comes-alive-at-the-national-theatre/.

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  3. Jewel BMarch 25, 2021 at 2:12 PM

    Hi Megan, great choice for this assignment. I agree with you that the entire musical has great songs. I too liked the songs you chose, the intro song and If I were a Rich man. The musical does show a strong passion for tradition and culture which is important to keep alive in a world that is constantly changing and adapting. The deeper message like you said is, adapting while keeping the traditions alive. I don't appreciate musicals that much but I remember falling in love with this one. Another musical you might like is, Man of La Mancha. Great blog post!

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  4. Candice BMarch 28, 2021 at 9:57 PM

    Hi Megan!
    So sorry to hear about your grandparents, it is really cool that assignments like these make us think of our late family members!
    I really find it interesting that the works dives into the traditions of families. I would NOT like to be in an arranged marriage either so I don't blame them for fighting these traditions.
    Very interesting read- I've attached my favorite musical song if you were interested in listening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyUqbGkvRXM

    ReplyDelete

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