Joshua Walden, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University

Sholem Aleichem’s 1888 novel Stempenyu tells the story of an itinerant klezmer violinist in the Eastern European shtetl. This paper explores the role of music in Stempenyu, and examines composer Joseph Achron’s score for Maurice Schwartz’s 1929 stage adaptation, showing how this tale was adapted for audiences across the diaspora.