Experiencing Sound and Environment in the Works of Max Neuhaus offers the first comprehensive study of the life, work, and lasting impact of American sound artist and musician Max Neuhaus (1939–2009). Widely recognized as a pioneer of site-specific auditory works and coining the term “sound installation,” this work follows Neuhaus’s first career as an experimental percussionist before turning towards sound art, where he helped define the field.
This research draws extensively on primary sources, including correspondence, concert programs, reviews, promotional materials, and memorabilia from the Max Neuhaus Estate website, the Max Neuhaus Papers at Columbia University, the Dia Art Foundation Archives, the Menil Collection Archives, and the Charlotte Moorman Archive and John Cage Collection at Northwestern University. It also incorporates original correspondence and interviews conducted by the author with Neuhaus’s wife, sister, and collaborators. Together, these materials establish a detailed timeline of Neuhaus’s career and illuminate his reputation as both a leading interpreter of experimental percussion and a pioneering sound artist. Through close analysis of key works, from Times Square to the Sirens project and later installations, the book examines themes of sound, environment, space, urbanity, and listening. Ultimately, it presents a portrait of a sonic explorer while profoundly shaping the emerging field of sound art.
The significance of this book lies in its exploration of sound as the nexus of intersecting artistic, cultural, and environmental impulses. In doing so, Experiencing Sound and Environment in the Works of Max Neuhaus contributes not only to the scholarship on Neuhaus but also to ongoing conversations across art history, musicology, acoustic ecology, ecomusicology, and sound studies. Its audience includes both general readers interested in sound art and Max Neuhaus, as well as scholars and researchers working across these interdisciplinary fields.
Megan Elizabeth Murph is the Director of the Budds Center for American Music Studies and a musicologist at the University of Missouri. Her research explores the life and career of experimental percussionists and sound artist Max Neuhaus, as well as broader questions about how sound and environment are experienced through American music and sound art. As the Director of the Budds Center, Murph organizes programs focused on American and
Missouri music, oversees publications and recording projects, maintains the Center’s collections and archives, and manages the endowment and grant application process.
