Sheldon Harnick Quotes

United States, Songwriter
April 30, 1924

Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof.

Love was not something that people married for generally in those days. They married for security. They married for economic reasons, you know, companionship - but not love.

Sheldon Harnick
- Reason
- Security
- Married
When you collaborate, you have to be willing to scrap a lot.

Sheldon Harnick

I'd heard that Lenny Bruce used a lot of profanity and obscenities in his act, and I was curious.

Sheldon Harnick
As far as I remember, there was no actual lyric written to that.At the very beginning of "Fiddler on the Roof," there's a violin solo, an unaccompanied violin solo.

Sheldon Harnick
- Remember
- Written
- Solo
A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? 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, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!

Sheldon Harnick
- Home
- Simple
- Crazy