Since I was already absent from class on Monday, I found out about this assignment almost haphazardly. I'm not exactly quite sure what I was suppose to research in regards to the inspiration behind Fiddler on the Roof, but here goes my attempt:
Inspiration
Fiddler on the Roof, originally entitled Tevye, is based on Sholem Aleichem's fictional memoir Tevye and his Daughters (also known as Tevye the Milkman or Tevye the Dairyman). The storyline follows a pious Jewish milkman in Tsarist Russia as he encounters trouble with his six daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, Bielke, and Teibel. In the first short story there is mention of a seventh daughter, yet there are only five daughters in Fiddler, only three of which have major roles. As he attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives, he must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters in their marital choices and the edict of the Tsar that evicting Jews from their village. Though not based solely on Tevye and his Daughters, Fiddler also drew inspiration from Aleichem's other tales originally in Yiddish and published in 1894.
Content
Set in the small Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, Fiddler is concerned primarily with the efforts of Tevye, a dairyman, his wife, Golde, and their five daughters as they cope with their harsh existence in 1905. Attempting to live a normal life filled with Jewish traditions in early 20th century Russia, Tevye is searching for appropriate husbands for his three eldest daughters—Tzeital, Hodel, and Chava. In a break of tradition, his daughters refuse to accept the wishes of the matchmaker, Yente, and their father. Instead, each daughter marries the men that they love, each on straying further and further from established customs. Meanwhile, Russians are instigating terrible progroms against the Jewish people in Russia. In the end, the Jews of Anatevka are forced to leave their homes and Tevye is determined to start a better life in a new land.
Marc Chagall & How He Can Be Used
The musical's title stems from a wall panel Marc Chagall created for Moscow State Yiddish Theater in 1920. After he left Russia in 1922, Chagall made a copy for himself called The Green Violinist. The surreal paintings typical of Chagall depict Eastern European Jewish life, often including a fiddler. This fiddler is a metaphor of survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. The Hasidism of Chagall's childhood believe it possible to achieve communion with God through music and dance, and the fiddler was a vital presence in ceremonies and festivals. His cultural and religious legacy is illuminated by the figure of the violinist dancing in a rustic village. The rural environment depicted in the picture with its low tin roofs emphasizes the poverty of the time. As the church is the only prominent building, the importance of religion is evident.
Fiddler on the Roof, originally entitled Tevye, is based on Sholem Aleichem's fictional memoir Tevye and his Daughters (also known as Tevye the Milkman or Tevye the Dairyman). The storyline follows a pious Jewish milkman in Tsarist Russia as he encounters trouble with his six daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, Bielke, and Teibel. In the first short story there is mention of a seventh daughter, yet there are only five daughters in Fiddler, only three of which have major roles. As he attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives, he must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters in their marital choices and the edict of the Tsar that evicting Jews from their village. Though not based solely on Tevye and his Daughters, Fiddler also drew inspiration from Aleichem's other tales originally in Yiddish and published in 1894.
Content
Set in the small Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, Fiddler is concerned primarily with the efforts of Tevye, a dairyman, his wife, Golde, and their five daughters as they cope with their harsh existence in 1905. Attempting to live a normal life filled with Jewish traditions in early 20th century Russia, Tevye is searching for appropriate husbands for his three eldest daughters—Tzeital, Hodel, and Chava. In a break of tradition, his daughters refuse to accept the wishes of the matchmaker, Yente, and their father. Instead, each daughter marries the men that they love, each on straying further and further from established customs. Meanwhile, Russians are instigating terrible progroms against the Jewish people in Russia. In the end, the Jews of Anatevka are forced to leave their homes and Tevye is determined to start a better life in a new land.
Marc Chagall & How He Can Be Used
The musical's title stems from a wall panel Marc Chagall created for Moscow State Yiddish Theater in 1920. After he left Russia in 1922, Chagall made a copy for himself called The Green Violinist. The surreal paintings typical of Chagall depict Eastern European Jewish life, often including a fiddler. This fiddler is a metaphor of survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. The Hasidism of Chagall's childhood believe it possible to achieve communion with God through music and dance, and the fiddler was a vital presence in ceremonies and festivals. His cultural and religious legacy is illuminated by the figure of the violinist dancing in a rustic village. The rural environment depicted in the picture with its low tin roofs emphasizes the poverty of the time. As the church is the only prominent building, the importance of religion is evident.
It was kind of peculiar, but while I was researching this assignment, my uncle happened to walk by and glance at my work. Low and behold, my uncle actually had previous knowledge of Marc Chagall and was actually able to show me a Chagall piece that he owned. Unlike anything that I had read about Chagall, the painting, well actually more of a sketch, seemed to depict one of Aesop's fables. What with a greedy fox attempting to get at a chicken in a tree, the picture could possibly be interpreted to convey some underlying message about the Jewish community in relationship to the violence of society. Anyways, the entire chance happening was interesting in that it made it feel as though what we're learning in class really does relate to our own lives. What's even more is that my aunt used to represent Chagall at her previous jobs. Who would've known?
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