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Creator
Mostel, Zero, 1915-1977
Call number
JPB 13-37
Physical description
1.75 linear feet (7 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Zero Mostel scores, JPB 13-37. Music Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Music Division
Access to materials
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Zero Mostel (1915-1977) was an American artist and actor of stage and screen, well known for his portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. The Zero Mostel scores contain Mostel's personal copies of published sheet music both related and unrelated to his acting career, as well as sheet music from Jim Brochu's play Zero Hour, a tribute to Mostel produced after his death.

Biographical/historical information

Actor and artist Zero Mostel was born Samuel Joel Mostel on February 28, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. In 1942 the Café Society nightclub in downtown Manhattan hired Mostel as a professional comedian. That same year, Mostel's stage and screen acting career began with him debuting on Broadway and starring in his first motion picture. He is well known for his portrayal of Tevye in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Mostel also starred in Ulysses in Nighttown (1958) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) to name a few.

Zero Mostel died in 1977 in Philadelphia during a pre-Broadway run of The Merchant. Following his death, Jim Brochu wrote the one-person play Zero Hour as a tribute to Mostel's life.

Scope and arrangement

The Zero Mostel scores date from 1905 to 2000 and contain personal copies of published sheet music both related and unrelated to Mostel's acting career, as well as sheet music from Jim Brochu's play Zero Hour, a tribute to Mostel produced after his death.

The published sheet music includes piano and violin parts for productions such as Fanny and Blooms of Dublin. The work of musical composers Alec Wilder, Meredith Willson, Harry Ruby, and George Frideric Handel is represented. Hand annotated parts for piano and violin for the song "Mother," presumably composed by Mostel, are included. Sheet music for Ulysses in Nighttown (1974 revival) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum can be found in this portion of the papers.

Fiddler on the Roof is well represented in the collection with orchestral and vocal scores. Some vocal scores include notes, presumably made by Mostel. A large portion of the collection consists of the full score and parts for the play Zero Hour, written by Jim Brochu. The Zero Hour material is undated but likely dates between 1980 and 2000.

Additional scores can be found in the Zero and Kate Mostel papers in the Billy Rose Theatre Division.

Arrangement

The Zero Mostel scores are arranged in three sections: published sheet music, scores for Fiddler on the Roof, and scores from the production Zero Hour.

Administrative information

Custodial history

The contents of the collection described herein were separated from the Zero and Kate Mostel papers (*T-Mss 1993-007) and transferred from the Billy Rose Theatre Division.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Kate Mostel, 1979 and Tobias Mostel, 1993.

Processing information

Compiled by Jennifer A. Ferretti, Pratt Institute, 2014, 2013

Related Material

Zero and Kate Mostel papers, *T-Mss 1993-007. Billy Rose Theatre Collection, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Using the collection

Location

Music Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.