A Joyful Noise: Claiming the Songs of My Fathers

In A Joyful Noise, Deborah Weisgall tells a moving story of her turbulent coming-of-age in the shadow of two remarkable men who lived life as if they were characters in an opera. The daughter of a mercurial composer and the granddaughter of a legendary cantor, Deborah as a child longed to be entrusted with their precious music and carry it on herself. But it was impossible; she was a girl. A Joyful Noise recounts Deborah’s search for a place within the family tradition and, finally, her triumphant discovery of a way to make the men who would exclude her – who were also the men she loved – listen to her voice. A Joyful Noise is a tender, heartbreaking, beautifully written chronicle of the power of memory, the survival of faith, and the pursuit of a grand musical heritage. A superbly written chronicle encompassing the grand themes of the power of memory and the survival of faith. – The Jewish Transcript; Weisgall has written a valuable book. – The New York Times Book Review; This is a lovely memoir of life in the acutely functional family of a fine and learned composer. Deborah Weisgall writes of a milieu of discourse immersed in and emerging from music, and in which love and knowledge are not at odds… . A Joyful Noise is that of her own particular music of remembering. – John Hollander; An absorbing memoir, with music in the background and foreground. – New York Jewish Week.