World of Yesterday

ABSTRACT: In the historiography about Jews, much less is known about the migration stories of European Jews in the Far East following the Anschluss of 1938. Among the numerous Austrian musicians, music scholars, and artists who settled in Shanghai, the notable contributions of Austrian doyen Erwin Felber had somehow eluded the attention of scholars in Jewish studies until now. As the artistic director of the European Jewish Artists Society and a prolific reviewer for the Shanghai Jewish Chronicle, he played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural and musical environment that impacted the lives of Austrian and European Jewish refugees. The function of music went beyond pure entertainment, as it served to reaffirm their sense of cultural identities living in unfamiliar Sinitic surroundings. As a cultural broker, to what extent did the transference of his musical knowledge help to transform music education for the refugees? In his writings, how were meanings created through the process of cultural translation? And how was knowledge transfer redefined through his critical evaluation of the notion of artistic value purported by Jewish performers? These and other related questions form the basis of inquiry in this chapter.