Sheldon Harnick

Sheldon Harnick
Background information
Born	April 30, 1924 (1924-04-30) (age 85) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Musical theater
Occupations	Lyricist

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Sheldon Harnick (born 30 April 1924) is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof.

Harnick began his career writing words and music to comic songs in musical revues. One of these, "The Merry Minuet", was popularized by the Kingston Trio. It is in the caustic style usually associated with Tom Lehrer and is sometimes incorrectly attributed to him.

Stage productions

• New Faces (1952) (music)
• Shangri-La (1956) (music)
• The Body Beautiful (1958) (Bock)
• Portofino (1958) (lyrics with Richard Ney)
• Fiorello! (1959) (Bock) (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
• Music to Ford-i-fy your future (1959) (Bock), an industrial musical for the Ford Motor Company
• Tenderloin (1960) (Bock)
• Smiling the Boy Fell Dead (1961) (David Baker)
• She Loves Me (1963) (Bock)
• Fiddler on the Roof (1964) (Bock)
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) (Michel Legrand)
• The Apple Tree (1966) (Bock)
• The Rothschilds (1970) (Bock)
• Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines (1975) (Jack Beeson)
• Rex (1976) (Richard Rodgers)
• The Madwoman of Central Park West (1979)
• A Christmas Carol (1982) (Michel Legrand)
• A Wonderful Life (Joe Raposo)
• Cyrano: The Musical (1993) (contributed English lyrics)
• Coyote Tales (1998) (Henry Mollicone)
• Dragons (2003) (music by himself)
• Fiddler on the Roof (2004) (contributed lyrics for one new song, "Topsy Turvy") (Jerry Bock)

Honors and awards

• In honor of Harnick's vast influence on American music, on May 19, 1984 he was awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit^[1]. Beginning in 1964, this award "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."
• Sheldon Harnick was honored at the Twenty-Sixth Annual William Inge Theater Festival located in Independence, Kansas in 2007.

References

External links

• Sheldon Harnick at the Internet Broadway Database
• Sheldon Harnick at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• Sheldon Harnick at the Internet Movie Database
• Northwestern University Magazine article based on 2004 interview with alumnus Harnick
• TonyAwards.com Interview with Sheldon Harnick
• William Inge Theater Festival website