David Briggs

David John Briggs (born 1 November 1962) is an English organist and composer.

He started his career as a cathedral organist as Assistant Organist at Hereford Cathedral before becoming the organist of Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals. Heavily influenced by Jean Langlais and Pierre Cochereau, Briggs is regarded as one of the world's finest improvisors, and now works as a concert organist. He is also a composer of choral and organ music and has transcribed many orchestral works for solo organ, as well as many of Cochereau's recorded improvisations. His daughter is the composer Kerensa Briggs.

Early life and training The Chapel of King's College, Cambridge (pictured August 2013), where Briggs was an organ scholar from 1981 to 1984. Briggs was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, to John Briggs (d. 1979), an engineer (and cellist), and his wife Jane (a violinist), who had met in 1957 while playing in the Birmingham Hospitals Orchestra.

Briggs began improvising on the piano and took lessons at an early age; he was invited to play hymns during assembly at his primary school in Moseley and Christmas carols during services at St Mary's Church, Moseley.

At the relatively early age of 17 Briggs was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), having studied for the examination with Richard Popplewell, and from 1981 to 1984 he was an organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge.

Concert organist and composer Considered one of the finest concert organists and improvisors of his generation, Briggs currently teaches and performs around the world. He gives regular masterclasses at the Royal Northern College of Music and Cambridge University, among others. He is also the composer of over 60 works, mostly for choir and organ.

Family Briggs has been married twice. With his first wife, Elisabeth Baker, he had two daughters: Kerensa (a composer) and Miriam (a singer-songwriter).

He moved to the United States in 2003 and has lived in both New York City and Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Compositions

Choir and organ columns-list|colwidth=35em| Truro Eucharist (1990), SATB and organ The Music Mountain (1991), SATB, soprano and tenor soloists and 2 organs The Noble Stem of Jesse (1996), SSAATTBB, for Gloucester Cathedral choir When Waters Kiss One Bank (1996), SSAATTBB, for Gloucester Cathedral choir, words by John Donne Holy is the True Light (1997), ATB and organ, commissioned by the Royal School of Church Music America Jubilate Deo (1998), SATB, soprano soloits and organ O Thou Who Art Unchangeable (1999), SATB, two soprano soloists and organ, commissioned by Virginia Wesleyan University Matin Responsary (1999), SSAATTBB for Gloucester Cathedral choir Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (2000), SATB, tenor solo and organ, commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford Messe pour Notre-Dame (2002), SATB and 2 organs, commissioned by the choir of Keynsham parish church, Bristol The Rising (2003), SATB and organ (based on an old Celtic prayer), commissioned by the choir of Church Street United Methodist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee Hosanna to the Son of David (2003), SATB and organ, commissioned by the choir of Kirk-in-the-Hills, Bloomfield Hills When in our music God is glorified (2003), trebles and organ (with optional trumpet), commissioned by the Bristol Cathedral girls choir for their 10th anniversary Ave Verum Corpus (2004), SATB, commissioned by the choir of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh Regina Coeli (2004), SATB, commissioned by St. Mary's Church, Moseley, for its 600th anniversary Christ's Peace, commissioned by the Rosengren family in celebration of 35 years of marriage Music, SATB setting of a poem by Walter de la Mare, commissioned by the Britten Singers, Hereford Ave Maria, TTBB and organ, commissioned by the lay clerks of Blackburn Cathedral Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis 'The Truro Service''' (2004), commissioned in thanksgiving for the life of John Taylour Caedmon's Hymn, SSAATTBB for Carlisle Cathedral Festival Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for Jesus College, Cambridge (2008) Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for St Davids Cathedral (2008) Messe pour Saint-Sulpice (2010), SATB and organ, commissioned by the choir of All Saints, Northampton

Choir and orchestra

Organ

Other

Discography