The white "candle" parts are all singed and melty looking around the top near the bulbs. I am planning to get a new fixture because I don't like that one to start with, but I am wondering if the melting is caused by a problem with the fixture (good news) or if it's more likely to be something about too much power coming to the fixture from the wiring (bad news). Our house was built in 1969 if that matters.

Thanks for any advice!

It's very unlikely that one fixture in the home would have too much voltage. One indication of high voltage is lamps that seem to burn out quickly. You could certainly check it a multimeter if you are concerned.

It may be that I myself am using the wrong bulbs, since I didn't buy the fixture, I don't know what it is rated for. I think when we bought the house, one of the candle things was scorched and now they all are.

But given what you said about lamps burning out too quickly, I think we might have that problem, too. It does seem like some of the arms of the chandelier are much more prone to burning out bulbs than others. I keep replacing the ones on one side, but not on the other. Also, the hall light burns out very quickly, even though it is rarely used. It's a pain to switch bulbs on, too, so I've pretty much just given up using it.

Times like these make me wish I had a landlord.