A guide to all the songs from 'Fiddler on the Roof'

Learn more about Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's exuberant and bittersweet score, including "Tradition", "If I Were a Rich Man", and "Sunrise, Sunset". L'chaim!

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s score for Fiddler on the Roof has been a beloved favourite since the show was first performed on Broadway in 1964. Set in a Russian shtetl in 1905, the musical tells the story of philosophical dairyman Tevye, his sharp-tongued wife Golde, and the romances of their three eldest daughters Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava, with three very different suitors. Underlying the personal stories is the threat of pogroms forcibly removing the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe from their homes and the break-up of groups that have been held together by their customs and traditions.

The score is imbued with Jewish klezmer and other Eastern European influences, blended with a Broadway sound and stylisation. It is imbued with Jewish joy and boisterous, self-deprecating humour, as well as deep melancholy. Read our guide to these wonderful, rich songs – “Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum!” And, if you like Fiddler, do try Bock and Harnick's other masterpiece She Loves Me - an exquisite jewel box of Mittel-European influences.

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“Tradition”

“A fiddler on the roof, sounds crazy,” muses Tevye, our protagonist and narrator. “But here in our little village of Anatevka you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant tune without breaking his neck.” How do they keep their balance? Why, “Tradition!” How did it all start? No one really knows, but it’s because of these long-standing traditions that everyone knows who they are and what God expects from them. The papas earn a living for their families while observing their religious duties, while the mamas make a good kosher home and raise the children. The sons are raised to attend Hebrew school, learn a trade and marry the bride of their parents’ choosing, while the daughters learn to be good housewives. Without these underpinnings, “Our lives would be as shaky as… as a fiddler on the roof.”

“Matchmaker”

Matchmaker Yente informs Tevye and Golde that she has an excellent match for their eldest daughter Tzeitel: the wealthy and elderly widowed butcher Lazar Wolf. Her younger sisters Hodel and Chava are excited about what the matchmaker might have in store for them when it's their turn (“For Papa make him a scholar / For Mama make him rich as a king / And me, well, I wouldn’t holler if he were as handsome as anything”). Tzeitel, who’s in love with her childhood friend Motel, however, provides a dose of reality — girls from poor families can’t afford to be picky. The younger girls realise that that they have been naïve. This lovely waltz number highlights their close-knit sisterhood and awakening to the realities of life as a woman where marriage is the only hope for a decent life, but they have little say in who they get (“Playing with matches a girl can get burned…”).

“If I Were a Rich Man”

Tevye talks to God about how different his life would be if he wasn’t stuck in poverty. Why can’t the almighty pull a few strings and change his situation? He imagines a big house with “One long staircase just going up / And one even longer going down / And one more leading nowhere just for show”; his wife Golde “putting on airs and strutting like a peacock”, and having the respect of his neighbours (“When you’re rich, they think you really know!”). However, more meaningful than social status and material luxuries would be the time to “Sit in the synagogue and pray / And maybe have a seat by the Eastern Wall / And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men several hours every day”. The number is inspired by original author Sholem Aleichem’s monologue “If I were a Rothschild” and is one of the most famous in the show, and has been parodied on several occasions.

“Sabbath Prayer”

A young student, Perchik, with “radical” ideals joins the family as a tutor to the youngest daughters Shprintze and Bielke. Tzeitel encourages Motel to ask her father for permission to marry her but he wants to wait until he’s saved up for his own sewing machine for his tailoring business. The community comes together for the weekly Sabbath.

“To Life”

After a misunderstanding about the sale of a cow, Tevye agrees that Lazar Wolf can marry Tzeitel and they celebrate with drinks, dancing, and this boisterous barroom number. “And if our good fortune never comes / Here's to whatever comes / Drink l’chaim, to life!” However, as he’s leaving, Tevye is informed by the local Russian Constable that a small “demonstration” is being planned shortly and the Jewish population should be on their guard.

“Tevye’s Monologue”

Tzeitel and Motel tell Tevye that they have given each other a pledge. It’s a breach of tradition for a couple to arrange their own marriage. Motel has nothing but that does mean that things can only get better for him… and Tzeitel clearly adores him. After some internal conflict during his monologue, Tevye gives his permission and his blessing for the pair to marry.

“Miracle of Miracles”

A delighted Motel celebrates with Tzeitel. Biblical heroes Moses, Daniel, David may have carried out miracles, but none can compare with his impending union with Tzeitel.

“Tevye’s Dream”

Tevye hasn’t told Golde or Lazar Wolf about the change of plan yet and he pretends to have had a dream about Golde’s late Grandma Tzeitel, who offers her congratulations on young Tzeitel’s marriage to Motel. Fruma Sarah, Wolf’s late first wife, also appears and threatens to kill Tzeitel if she marries her former husband. The superstitious Golde insists that this dream is a sign that Tzeitel must marry Motel. Phew!

“Sunrise, Sunset”

The Jewish community witnesses Tzeitel and Motel joined in marriage. Tevye and Golde observe the passing of time (“I don’t remember growing older / When did they?”). Hodel and Perchik also wonder if there could be a wedding in the future for them. With such heartfelt sentiments and beautiful choral singing, it’s hard not to weep at this number.

“Wedding Dance”

The wedding is marked with feasting and dancing. The “Bottle Dance” isn’t a traditional Jewish dance and was invented by Jerome Robbins – it’s certainly a showstopper. To everyone’s astonishment, Perchik crosses the line between the men and women to dance with Hodel. However, the celebration is ruined by the Russians’ “demonstration”, leaving the party in disarray and further rioting in the town.

“Now I Have Everything”

Perchik proposes to Hodel and is accepted, even though he has to return to Kyiv to work for the revolution. They tell Tevye, but they only ask for his blessing, not his permission. After some hesitation, he gives both.

“Do You Love Me?”

Tevye and Golde’s arranged marriage had nothing to do with love, which is all the young people these days can think about. It’s new world. He tentatively asks Golde if she loves him and she’s shocked by the question; surely there are more important things to worry about. He persists. Ultimately, she concludes “For twenty-five years I've lived with him / Fought him, starved with him / Twenty-five years my bed is his / If that's not love, what is?” More tissues.

“The Rumour”

Yente arrives with a letter for Hodel from Perchik. She has already read it, of course, but has got her facts a bit muddled. However, Perchik has been arrested and deported to Siberia, and Hodel makes plans to join him there.

“Far from the Home I Love”

Hodel prepares to leave Anatevka for Siberia. She explains wanting to be with her family and Perchik has made for an agonising decision (“How was I to know that a man would come who would change the shape of my dreams?”). “God alone knows when we shall see each other again,” she tells Tevye. “Until then, we leave it in his hands.”

"Chavaleh/Tevye’s Denial"

Chava elopes with Fyedka, a Russian, which Tevye cannot accept. He reminisces about his “little bird” as a child. Chava begs her to accept them but he cannot accept her marrying out of her faith. For the first time, there is “no other hand”.

“Anatevka”

The Constable informs the Jewish villagers that they have three days to pack up and leave their homes. Anatevka isn’t exactly paradise, but it’s home. “Our forefathers were forced out of their homes at a moment’s notice. Maybe that’s why we always wear our hats” observes Motel wryly. Chava tells her family that she and Fyedka are leaving for Krakow, where Tzeitel, Motel and their baby are also headed. Tevye, Golde and the two youngest girls intend to go to America. The fiddler begins to play for the final time. The whole village disperses to face an uncertain future.

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