Music history

The Richard Maxfield Collection consists of electronic music written by Maxfield on open reel tape from 1959 to 1964. Some tape boxes appear annotated by the composer. Nine are labeled as distinct works, while two others are more likely to be work tapes or copies. Pastoral Symphony, Amazing Grace and Cough Music are some of his more canonical pieces, and date from the period considered his most prolific. Maxfield would edit tapes for each performance to ensure a unique event, and it is unknown what versions these recordings represent.