Rothschilds fiddle by anton chekhov biography

After the idea was proposed to him by Dmitri Shostakovich , [ 2 ] "Rothschild's Violin" was made into an opera by Veniamin Fleishman. Yakov Ivanov nicknamed "Bronze" is a seventy-year-old coffin maker in a small village, where there are not enough deaths for his business to flourish. To make ends meet, he plays the violin for a Jewish klezmer orchestra when called upon by its director Moisey Shahkes.

Yakov is anti-semitic and dislikes Jews , especially the flutist in the orchestra named Rothschild.

“Rothschild's Fiddle” begins in a little town that is “worse than a village.” The third-person narration focuses on Yakov, who builds the town's coffins.

Yakov's wife Marfa becomes ill. Her illness makes him regret his flippant conduct, his coldness and indifference towards her. On the eve of her death, she reminds him of their shared past, but Yakov does not remember. He starts to build her coffin before she dies. Yakov eventually succumbs to illness as well. After grieving for his wife, and then facing his own mortality; Yakov's attitude changes.

He eventually gives his violin to Rothschild before dying. This article about a short story or stories published in the s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history.