Neumann studied at the Conservatory of Leipzig from 1928 to 1930, and at the University of Leipzig from 1928 to 1933, besides Musicology also Philosophy, Psychology and Romance studies. He wrote his thesis in 1938 on Bach's choral fugue, "J. S. Bachs Chorfuge. Ein Beitrag zur Kompositionstechnik Bachs". He worked as a teacher from 1934 to 1940 and served the military for five years. From 1945 to 1950 he worked as a freelance teacher, writer on music and teacher at the Musikhochschule Leipzig.
After the Deutsche Bachfeier 1950, the bicentennial of Bach, he founded the Bach-Archiv Leipzig for documentation and research, which he presided until 1973, achieving international recognition.
From 1953 to 1974 Neumann was, together with Alfred Dürr, editor of the Bach-Jahrbuch (Bach almanach), writing several contributions himself. He started in 1951 to lead the East German section of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second complete edition of Bach's works, whereas Dürr was the director of the West German section. Neumann added several volumes of cantatas to the project.[1][2]
