The Sound of Exile: European Jewish Refugees in Shanghai, 1938-1947

Combining diaspora studies and ethnomusicology, The Sound of Exile examines how Central European Jewish refugees employed music as a means of reconstructing cultural identity amid turmoil and displacement in Shanghai. From orchestral arrangements and cabarets to traditional synagogue liturgy, music served as the common thread weaving together the history of Jewish life, thought, and exile. Navigating a Shanghai that was embroiled in its own complicated history and the intricate politics marking its settlements and concessions, the Jewish refugee community made music that embraced survival, salvation, and after the war, gratitude for the city most would leave behind.

The Sound of Exile highlights this diasporic musical life by exploring neglected archival documents. Analyzing these sources alongside ephemeral material such as memoir fragments, news reports, flyers, advertisements, tickets for performances, and more, the text revives the little-known communities Jewish refugees created to support themselves artistically and spiritually. The result is a book that brings Shanghai Jewish musical history to life.

Tang Yating is professor emeritus at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In addition to Musical Life of Shanghai Jewish Communities: 1850-1950, 1998-2005, he has published three books, all in Chinese: Variations of Imperial Diasporas: A History of the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra, 1879-1949; Ethnomusicology: Ideological Trends and Methodology; and Urban Soundscapes.