A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Bridge, John

by W. Barclay Squire

BRIDGE, John Frederick, Mus. D., is the son of the late John Bridge, a lay clerk of Rochester Cathedral. He was born at Oldbury in Worcestershire on Dec. 5, 1844, and was a chorister at Rochester from 1850 to 1859, and an articled pupil of J. Hopkins until 1864. He subsequently studied under Sir John Goss, and from 1865 to 1869 was organist of Trinity Church, Windsor. In 1868 he took the degree of Mus. B. at Oxford, and in the following year succeeded Joseph John Harris as organist of Manchester Cathedral. In 1872 he was appointed Professor of Harmony at Owens College, and in 1874 he took his Doctor's degree, for which he composed as an exercise the oratorio 'Mount Moriah.' In 1875 he was appointed permanent deputy organist of Westminster Abbey, which post he held until the death of Mr. Turle in 1882, when he was appointed his successor. 1890, made Gresham Prof. 1896, succeeded Sir J. Barnby as Cond. R. Choral Soc. Knighted, Diam. Jubilee, 1897. For the Worcester Festival in 1884 Dr. Bridge wrote a choral setting of the Hymn of S. Francis, and for the Birmingham Festival of 1885 he composed a fine setting of Mr. Gladstone's Latin Translation of Toplady's hymn, 'Rock of Ages.' For the celebration of the Queen's Jubilee in Westminster Abbey (21 June, 1887) he arranged all the music and composed a special anthem, for which he received the thanks of Her Majesty, and the Silver Jubilee Medal. Dr. Bridge is Professor of Harmony and Counterpoint at the Royal College of Music, and Conductor of the Western Madrigal Society. In addition to the works already mentioned, his compositions include anthems, services, chants, part-songs, an overture 'The Morte d'Arthur,' and a cantata 'Boadicea,' produced in 1880, besides excellent primers on Counterpoint, Double Counterpoint and Canon, and Organ Accompaniment of the Choral Service. [App. p.819 "his cantata 'Callirhoë,' to words by W. Barclay Squire, was produced at the Birmingham Festival of 1888."]

[ W. B. S. ]