Listening to Quiet: Music, Sound, and Environmental Ideology in New York’s Hudson Valley

The Hudson River Valley has long attracted people with its peaceful atmosphere and natural beauty. Joshua Groffman focuses on music and sound to examine the Valley as an idea built over time through stories, music, traditions, and everyday listening.

Groffman’s investigation reveals that the relationships created by sounds form distinct acoustic communities. Listening closely—whether to gravel roads, gunshots, or the protest music of Pete Seeger—offers insight into competing views of who belongs, whose voices are heard, and the environmental impact of human action. Shifting acoustic communities reflect larger debates about race, class, and politics, inviting people to listen across their differences to build stronger connections and develop new ways of caring for both human and nonhuman communities.

An innovative inquiry into what people hear and don’t hear, Listening to Quiet considers how human and nonhuman voices can help us imagine more just and sustainable relationships with each other and the natural world.