A Note on Frank Bridge

This is not, I fear, the much-needed full critical assessment of Frank Bridge. The very size of his output makes such a task difficult, and it is not helped by the disappearance of several important scores, among them the Cello Concerto (1930) and Enter Spring (1927)—which Britten remembers “as a riot of melodic and harmonic richness, although it is thirty years since I heard it or saw the score.” Performances of his music, at any rate in public, are exceedingly rare, and no-one except Britten has shown any interest in correcting the fact. Fortunately it is possible to outline a rough sketch of Bridge—incomplete and undetailed, but fair so far as it goes—by concentrating on the chamber music, where he is at his most personal; and thus to suggest some of the reasons why, personal affection apart, Britten today cherishes Bridge's memory so warmly.