IF I WERE A RICH MAN [Fiddler on the Roof; 1964; music by Jerry Bock; lyrics by Sheldon Harnick] Written in a Jewish klezmer style, this joyous, boisterous comical plea to God and the universe follows the hopes and dreams of Tevye the milkman. Who hasn’t prayed for wealth, or at least wondered what life would be like if you won the lottery? Harnick’s lyrics, so brilliant, capture this to a tee, where Teyve asks such existential questions as, “Lord who made the lion and the lamb/You decreed I should be what I am/Would it spoil some vast, eternal plan/If I were a wealthy man?
Songs with Banjo from Harold Hagler
