The Organ Concertos of Henry Burgess (1718–1786)

Henry Burgess, Junior, published in 1743 the earliest known set of organ concertos by an English composer. These show strongly the influence of George Frideric Handel, whose organ concertos published as Op. 4 in 1738 invented the genre, but also reveal that of Antonio Vivaldi and – more surprisingly – the English song tradition. Though still little known, Burgess is a capable and inventive composer, whose sparkling concertos, performable either with or without orchestra, deserve a place in the repertoire.