How the Accordion Usurped the Erhu in Taipei: The Sonic Construction of Place in the Formosan Cosmopolis

Abstract

This article examines the sonic construction of Taipei through media such as film, television, and the Internet, and the real-world influences and consequences of these mediated sounds. In Taiwanese media, Taipei is often portrayed as a cosmopolitan, erudite city by using accordion and other allusions to Parisian sounds. By creating a framework to understand how sound can sculpt urban space, I first reference examples of urban space being sculpted by sound within ethnomusicology, construct a theoretical framework and then apply this framework to parts of Taipei as they are represented in Taiwanese media. I propose that the sonic representation of place in media is a way for Taiwanese artists and the general public to understand and create a cosmopolitan identity. Finally I return to the titular case study and highlight the implications that the soundtrack used in the media portrayal of a city can affect the real-world soundscape.