Symphonic Dances from "Fiddler on the Roof"

From Wind Repertory Project
Jerry Bock

Jerry Bock (arr. Ira Hearshen)


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General Info

Year: 2007
Duration: c. 7:05
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $80.00   |   Score Only - $10.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Percussion I-II

(percussion detail desired)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

This landmark Broadway musical includes marvelous dance sequences with unique ethnic stylings. From the rousing To Life and Tradition to the tender Chava Sequence and Perchik and Hodel Dance to the signature Wedding Dance (Bottle Dance), this is a magnificent work for the mature ensemble.

- Program Note from publisher


Much of the popular music in our country originally came from Broadway musicals. This music comes from a show which opened on Broadway in 1964 and ran for 3,242 performances, setting a record for the longest running musical in history. It held that record for almost 10 years and still claims the 14th longest record in musical theater history. This is a marvelous and exciting arrangement by Ira Hearshen of the Symphonic Dances from Fiddler on the Roof.

- Program Note by Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band concert program, 5 April 2013


The 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof was a blockbuster, breaking many Broadway records at the time. The script, adapted by Joseph Stein from the stories of Sholom Aleichem, was a musical portrait of Eastern European Orthodox Jews in the village of Anatevka experiencing pograms and the threat of expulsion by the Russian czar. It centers around the struggles of a poor Jewish milkman, Tevye, with five daughters, where life is as precarious as the perch of a fiddler on the roof. Tradition is what gives them strength against adversity. Tevye is tested when he needs to break the arranged match made between the butcher and Tevye’s eldest daughter, Tzeitel, who loves Motel, a struggling tailor. The Wedding Dance #1 (Bottle Dance) marks the celebration of Motel and Tzeitel’s wedding. Defiance to the prohibition against opposite sexes dancing together occurs in the Perchik and Hodel Dance, when the student dances with Tevye’s second daughter, Hodel. The czar’s forces perform a “demonstration” and wreck the wedding party.

Months later, Perchik must leave for Kiev to work for the revolution. He proposes to Hodel, saying he will send for her. Tevye protests that making their own match breaks tradition and he forbids it. He is informed that the youngsters only want his blessing, not his permission. Time passes and middle daughter, Chava, asks for permission to marry Fyedka, a Russian boy. Marriage outside of the Jewish faith is a tradition Teyve cannot break. He eventually loses her as the young couple elope. The loss of his daughters to the men they love is conveyed in a dance of the Chava Sequence. The story ends on a sad note that the Jews must leave Anatevka and Teyve, his wife, Golde, and their two youngest daughters pack what they can carry and leave for America. The music recalls a happier time with the dance To Life.

- Program Note by Roy Stahle for the Foothill Symphonic Winds concert program, 8 December 2013


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Heart of Texas (San Antonio) Concert Band (R. Mark Rogers, conductor) - 1 October 2023
  • Rhode Island Wind Ensemble (Newport) (Robert Franzblau, conductor) - 19 February 2023
  • South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Pride Wind Ensemble (Dan Bassett, conductor) - 14 May 2022
  • Central Iowa Wind Ensemble (Des Moines) (Christian Carichner, conductor) - 1 May 2022
  • Golden Gate Park Band (San Francisco, Calif.) (Robert Calonico, conductor) - 8 August 2021
  • Mount St. Mary's University (Emmitsburg, Md.) Wind Ensemble (Mark Carlson, conductor) – 26 October 2019
  • Arkansas (Farmington) Winds Community Concert Band (Michael Ferguson, conductor) – 2 March 2019
  • Gold Coast Wind Ensemble (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) (Michael Doty, conductor) – 19 January 2019
  • Lansing (Mich.) Concert Band (Carolyn Sherrill, conductor) – 21 October 2018
  • Boston University (Mass.) Concert Band (Jennifer Bill, conductor) – 25 April 2018
  • University of Nebraska (Lincoln) Wind Ensemble (Carolyn Barber, conductor) – 4 October 2017
  • Suncoast Concert Band (Sarasota, Fla.) (Robert Stoll, conductor) – 4 May 2017 (ACB 2017 Annual Convention (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.))
  • Maybrook Wind Ensemble (Orange County, N.Y.) (Kevin Scott, conductor) – 9 December 2016
  • Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) Concert Band (Greg Stoll, conductor) – 1 October 2016
  • Encore Concert Band (Mokena, Ill.) (Bill Schuetter, conductor) – 1 May 2016
  • Lone Star Wind Orchestra (Dallas, Texas) (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) – 3 April 2016
  • Maybrook (N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Kevin Scott, conductor) – 11 December 2015
  • Gold Coast Wind Ensemble (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) (Clinton H. Dawley, conductor) - 12 April 2015
  • Foothill Symphonic Winds (Los Altos, Calif.) (David Bruce Adams, conductor) - 8 December 2013
  • Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band (Dale Cleland, conductor) - 5 April 2013 (ACB’s 35th Annual Convention (San Ramon, Calif.))


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Bock, J.; Harnick, S.; Hearshen, I. [2007]. Symphonic Dances from Fiddler on the Roof [score]. Hal Leonard: Milwaukee, Wisc.
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