No. 6 - Allegro ben Moderato (Six Organ Pieces)

The final piece, No. 6 - "Allegro ben Moderato" in particular displays incredible contrapuntal ingenuity. The initial melody appears as a solo in the left hand in the ninth bar, a twelfth lower than the original. Eight bars later, the left hand plays the theme at yet another pitch as the pedal enters with the theme in augmentation. Even the great J S Bach would have been quite proud of that!

It's a "deceptive" sort of piece that is hard to get it just right. As usual, Bridge gives essentially no registrations, but he does call for "Full organ" in the central section.

The theme appears there over a long, full pedal point, with the Tuba echoing the melody in the tenor voice.

It ends with a long, "melt down," before dying away on a hushed final chord.

When I think about this piece, I don't like it...

When I hear it or play it, I do!

The work is without a specific date.

All of these pieces need to be heard MUCH more often! They are a unique contribution to the English organ repertoire of the period.