Title: Sheldon Harnick Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1937-1968

Creator:

• Harnick, Sheldon, 1924-

Call Number: U.S. Mss 104AN

Quantity: 2.8 c.f. (7 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
Contact Information

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a lyricist, consisting of correspondence, business records, scripts, production material, and music and lyric manuscripts for seven Broadway musicals. For the highly-acclaimed Fiddler on the Roof (1964) on which Harnick collaborated with Jerry Bock, the collection also includes musical manuscripts for songs not used in the production as well as some legal correspondence relating to motion picture rights. Also well covered are The Apple Tree (1966), She Loves Me (1963) and To Broadway With Love (1964).

Note:

There is a restriction on use of this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0104an

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Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist and composer, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 30, 1924, to Harry Michael and Esther (Kanter) Harnick. He graduated from Chicago's Carl Schurz High School in 1942 and received musical training at Chicago's Boguslawski Music School, 1940-1942, and the Lewis Institute, 1942-1943. In addition to private lessons in violin and harmony and counterpoint, he received a B. Mus. from Northwestern University in 1950.

Harnick began his professional career as a violinist with Chicago dance orchestras. Following a tour of duty with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II, he wrote the music and lyrics for a Northwestern University show. During these early years of his career, when Harnick was writing his own music as well as lyrics, he was already developing his own style--a witty, vivid social commentary set to music. Among the influences on his writing Harnick has mentioned such diverse sources as Gilbert and Sullivan, Robert Benchley, James Thurber, Groucho Marx, Upton Sinclair, E. Y. Harburg, and serious music.

Shortly after his graduation from Northwestern, Harnick went to New York, where his first venture on Broadway was a song in the production, New Faces of 1952. He contributed songs to eleven other professional theatrical productions, both Broadway and regional, between 1952 and 1958. In that latter year he also wrote the lyrics for The Body Beautiful; the show marked the beginning of a happy collaboration between Harnick and composer Jerry Bock.

In 1959 Harnick scored his first hit--he wrote the lyrics for Fiorello!, the musical based on the life of New York's colorful mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia. Fiorello! ran for 796 performances on Broadway, and for it Harnick won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the BMI Achievement Award.

After Fiorello!, Harnick and Bock collaborated on Tenderloin (1960) and She Loves Me (1963), and Harnick wrote the lyrics for the title song of Never Too Late (1962) and the lyrics for The Man in the Moon (1963). Then in 1964 the musical team, together with writer Joseph Stein, created a musical based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem. The result was Fiddler on the Roof, one of Broadway's most successful and longest-running musicals. “Musicals come and go,” wrote Clive Barnes, “but Fiddler on the Roof seems to play on forever.” Fiddler won the 1965 New York Drama Critics Award as best musical, as well as earning the Tony award for lyricist Harnick.

Harnick's most recent collaborations with his composer are The Apple Tree, which opened in 1966, and The Rothschilds, which opened in 1970 and has settled in for a long run on Broadway.

Sheldon Harnick and his wife, Margery Gray, reside in New York City.

The Sheldon Harnick papers, spanning the years 1937 to 1968, consist of correspondence, scripts, dialogue manuscripts, script and production outlines, casting material, and music and lyric manuscripts. The material is arranged chronologically by production date; and within the production, by production sequence.

For the Man in the Moon (1963), there are script revisions A through D of Act I, and music and lyric manuscripts.

The correspondence for She Loves Me (1963) includes opening night and commendatory letters as well as a file of business letters concerning contracts, script revisions, and stock and amateur rights. The scripts include Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo, from which She Loves Me was adapted, in addition to script outlines and revised scripts. Box 2 of this collection contains an extensive amount of dialogue and music and lyric manuscripts for songs used in or rejected for the show.

To Broadway With Love (1964) includes a complete production outline that coordinates lighting, dialogue, and music, as well as correspondence and music and lyric manuscripts.

The bulk of the Harnick papers consists of material for Fiddler on the Roof (1964). A file of business papers relates to revisions, financial arrangements, and movie rights. The music and lyric manuscripts for songs used in or rejected for the show are supplemented by a script outline, an early script draft, extensive casting lists, and material concerning Tevye's three monologues.

The material on Baker Street (1965) is composed of opening night correspondence and music and lyric manuscripts.

Harnick's arrangement of the material on The Apple Tree (1966) has been retained. Harnick arranged the material sequentially by production order; the material includes scripts, used and rejected dialogue, and music and lyric manuscripts. There are also similar types of material concerning two plays rejected for the production.

For further information on Fiddler on the Roof, see the Joseph Stein Papers (33AN); and for She Loves Me, To Broadway With Love, and Baker Street, see Jean Rosenthal (40AN).

The papers conclude with the music and lyric manuscripts for Her First Roman (1968).

Use Restrictions

All literary rights to the material in this collection are retained by Sheldon Harnick.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Sheldon Harnick, New York, New York, in two installments on December 31, 1968, and December 31, 1969. Accession Number: MCHC68-144, MCHC68-157, MCHC69-173.

Processing Information

Processed by Eleanor Niermann, 1970.

	The Man in the Moon (N. Y., 1963, April 11) Note Dir: Gerald Freedman Writer: Arthur Burns, based on story by Bill Baird Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick
	Scripts, 1963
Box   1 Folder   1	Script A, Act I, Prologue and Partial Scene I
Box   1 Folder   2	Script B, Act I, Scenes II and III
Box   1 Folder   3	Script C, Act I, Scenes I, II, IV, V, and VI
Box   1 Folder   4	Script D, Act I, Scenes I-VI
Box   1 Folder   5	Songs, music and lyric manuscripts, 1963
	She Loves Me (N.Y., 1963, April 23) Note Prod: Harold S. Prince, in association with Lawrence N. Kasha and Philip C. McKenna Dir: Harold S. Prince Writer: Book by Joe Masterhoff, based on the play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Cast: Barbara Cook, Barbara Baxley, Jack Cassidy, Daniel Massey, Ludwig Donath
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   6	Opening night, 1963, March-April
Box   1 Folder   7	Commendations, 1963, March-December
Box   1 Folder   8	Business, 1962, November 1963, December
	Scripts
Box   1 Folder   9	Parfumerie,1937
Box   1 Folder   10	Parfumerie, revised Act I, Scene I, n.d.
Box   1 Folder   11	The Shop Around the Corner (early title), 1963
	She Loves Me
Box   1 Folder   12	Script outline, Acts I and III, 1963
Box   1 Folder   13	Annotated draft, 1963
	Songs Used in Production (in production order)
Box   2 Folder   1	“Good Morning, Good Day,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   2	“Sounds While Selling” and “Thank You, Madam,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   3	“Days Gone By,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   4	“No More Candy,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   5	“Three Letters,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   6	“Tonight at Eight,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   7	“I Don't Know Her Name,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   8	“Perspective,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   9	“Goodbye, George,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   10	“Will He Like Me?,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   11	“Ilona,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   12	“I Resolve,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   13	“A Romantic Atmosphere,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   14	“Tango Tragique,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   15	“Dear Friend,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   16	“Try Me,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   17	“Where's My Shoe?,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   18	“Ice Cream,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   19	“She Loves Me,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   20	“A Trip to the Library,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   21	“Grand Knowing You,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   22	“Twelve Days to Christmas,” lyric mss
	Songs Not Used in Production (in alphabetical order)
Box   2 Folder   23	“Anna” and “Time to Go Home,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   24	“Heads I Win,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   25	“Hello, Love,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   26	“Her,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   27	“Merry Christmas Bells,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   28	“Mr. Nowak, Will You Please?,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   29	“My Drug Store,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   30	“Parfumerie,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   31	“Poor George,” lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   32	“Seasonal Pleasures,” dialogue, music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   33	“Second Floor, Apt. 6,” dialogue and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   34	“Tell Me I Look Nice,” music and lyric mss
Box   2 Folder   35	“What a Night,” music and lyric mss
	To Broadway With Love (New York World's Fair, 1964, April 22) Note Prod: George Schaefer Dir: Morton Da Costa Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick
Box   3 Folder   1	Production Outline, 1963, January
	Songs
Box   3 Folder   2	Correspondence and theme outlines, 1964, January, February
Box   3 Folder   3-4	Music and lyric mss, 1964
	Fiddler on the Roof (N.Y., 1964, September 22) Note Prod: Harold S. Prince Dir: Harold S. Prince Writer: Book by Joseph Stein, based on stories by Sholom Aleichem Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Staging and Choreography: Jerome Robbins Cast: Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Bea Arthur
Box   3 Folder   5	Business Papers, 1962, January, 1965, November
Box   3 Folder   6	Script Outlines, n.d.
Box   3 Folder   7	Script for Tevye (early title), 1962
Box   3 Folder   8	Casting, 1963, September, 1964, March
	Dialogue
Box   3 Folder   9	Tevye's opening monologue, 1963-1964
Box   3 Folder   10	Tevye's second monologue, 1963-1964
Box   3 Folder   11	Tevye's third monologue, 1963-1964
Box   3 Folder   12	Miscellaneous, 1963-1964
	Songs Used in Production, music and lyric mss (in production order), 1963-1964
Box   4 Folder   1	“Tradition”
Box   4 Folder   2	“Matchmaker, Matchmaker”
Box   4 Folder   3	“If I Were a Rich Man”
Box   4 Folder   4	“Sabbath Prayer”
Box   4 Folder   5	“To Life”
Box   4 Folder   6	“Miracle of Miracles”
Box   4 Folder   7	“Tevye's Dream (The Tailor Motel Kamzoil)”
Box   4 Folder   8	“Sunrise, Sunset”
Box   4 Folder   9	“Now I Have Everything”
Box   4 Folder   10	“Do You Love Me?”
Box   4 Folder   11	“Far From the Home I Love”
Box   4 Folder   12	“Anatevka”
	Songs Not Used in Production, music and lyric mss (in alphabetical order), 1963-1964
Box   4 Folder   13	“As Much As That”
Box   4 Folder   14	“A Butcher's Soul”
Box   4 Folder   15	“Chavaleh”
Box   4 Folder   16	“Dear, Sweet Sewing Machine”
Box   4 Folder   17	“Fiddler on the Roof”
Box   4 Folder   18	“Get Thee Out”
Box   4 Folder   19	“Here in Anatevka”
Box   4 Folder   20	“I Can't Wait”
Box   4 Folder   21	“I Had a Relative”
Box   4 Folder   22	“I Just Heard”
Box   4 Folder   23	“If I Were a Woman”
Box   4 Folder   24	“A Little Bit of This”
Box   4 Folder   25	“Make a Bigger Circle”
Box   4 Folder   26	“A New World”
Box   4 Folder   27	“Poppa Help Me”
Box   5 Folder   1	“Promise Me”
Box   5 Folder   2	“The Richest Man in Town,” lyric mss only
Box   5 Folder   3	“Somehow the Time Will Pass”
Box   5 Folder   4	“The Story of Jacob”
Box   5 Folder   5	“That's Life”
Box   5 Folder   6	“To Marry For Love”
Box   5 Folder   7	“We'll Work for Tomorrow Today,” lyric mss only
Box   5 Folder   8	“We're Very Lucky”
Box   5 Folder   9	“We've Never Missed a Sabbath Yet”
Box   5 Folder   10	“What Should I Do?”
Box   5 Folder   11	“When Messiah Comes”
Box   5 Folder   12	“Where Poppa Came From”
Box   5 Folder   13	“Why”
	Correspondence, congratulatory
Box   5 Folder   14	1964, July-December
Box   5 Folder   15	1965, January-December
	Baker Street (N.Y., 1965, February 16) Note Prod: Alexander H. Cohen, in association with Gabriel Katzka Dir: Harold S. Prince Writer: Book by Jerome Coopersmith, based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Music: and lyrics: Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessell Cast: Fritz Weaver, Inga Swenson, Martin Gabel
Box   5 Folder   16	Correspondence, opening night, 1965, February
Box   5 Folder   17-18	Songs, music and lyric mss, 1964-1965
	The Apple Tree (N.Y., 1966, October 18) Note Prod: Stuart Ostrow Dir: Mike Nichols Writers: Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, based on stories by Mark Twain, Frank R. Stockton and Jules Feiffer Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Cast: Barbara Harris, Larry Blyden, Alan Alda
	Plays Used in Production
	“The Diary of Adam and Eve,” based on a Mark Twain story
Box   6 Folder   1	Songs, music and lyric mss, 1966
Box   6 Folder   2	Script and lyric mss, 1966, July-August
Box   6 Folder   3	Coopersmith's final script with Harnick's annotations, 1965, August-September
Box   6 Folder   4	Script and lyric mss, 1966, April-September
Box   6 Folder   5	Script, music and lyric mss, 1966
	“The Lady or the Tiger,” based on a Frank Stockton story
Box   6 Folder   6	Coopersmith's final script and music and lyric mss, 1966
Box   6 Folder   7	Revised script, 1966, February-June
Box   7 Folder   1	Revised script and notes, 1966, January
Box   7 Folder   2	Miscellaneous papers and “Passionella,” based on a Jules Feiffer cartoon - correspondence, script and lyric mss, 1966, September
	“Passionella”
Box   7 Folder   3	Music and lyric mss, 1966
Box   7 Folder   4	Dialogue, music and lyric mss, 1966
Box   7 Folder   5	Two early script and early rehearsal typescript, 1966, May, July
	Plays Not Used in Production
Box   7 Folder   6	“Among the Paths to Eden,” script, music and lyric mss, 1966, May
Box   7 Folder   7	“Young Goodman Brown,” music and lyric mss, 1966
Box   7 Folder   8	Plot outlines and partial revised scripts, 1966, September
	Her First Roman (N.Y., 1968, October 20) Note Prod: Joseph Cates and Henry Fownes Dir: Derek Goldby Writer: Ervin Drake, adapted from G. B. Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra Cast: Richard Kiley, Leslie Uggams, Claudia McNeil
Box   7 Folder   9	Lyric mss, 1968