1971
In the August 1971 issue of High Fidelity/Musical America, the article "Neuhaus Underwater" documented the debut of the Water Whistle series, focusing on its technical and sensory departure from traditional electronic music.
In the August 1971 issue of High Fidelity/Musical America, the article "Neuhaus Underwater" documented the debut of the Water Whistle series, focusing on its technical and sensory departure from traditional electronic music.
The piece used hydraulically operated whistles rather than electronic speakers. Water was pumped through custom-designed plastic whistles, creating a continuous, shimmering chord that traveled four times faster than in air.
The article notes that listeners, floating in pools at NYU or the Walker Art Center, experienced sound through bone conduction—the vibration of the skull—rather than just the eardrums.
By choosing the swimming pool, Neuhaus transformed a social/recreational space into a high-art environment, a move the magazine framed as an "acoustic evolution."