Composed in 1943 - 1944, Legend is Bax's last tone poem for orchestra (the full title is A Legend for Orchestra). Bax dedicated the piece to Julian Herbage, a concert promoter who lived near Bax in Sussex. Completed in May 1944, Legend was first performed for a radio broadcast in early October 1944 by the BBC Orchestra from their studio in Bedford. A concert performance took place at Guildhall, Cambridge, on October 28. On both occasions the conductor was Adrian Boult.

In what would be the last program note Bax ever wrote, he explained that Legend "is not a musical version of any particular story; it merely purports to evoke certain characteristic elements in the tales of some northern land—a matter of the atmosphere of strangeness and remoteness inherent in the word 'legend.' Mountain landscapes, wild weather, wind-swept castles, shadowy battles and finally triumph in a barbaric setting may perhaps be suggested by this series of musical episodes." In overall atmosphere, Legend is similar to the Tale the Pine Trees Knew, of 1931, although the orchestra for Legend is somewhat smaller, with fewer woodwinds and only one harp. As intimated by Bax's short note, the 13-minute piece takes the listener through several, disparate moods, each passing into the other without pause.

Bax's "wild weather" and "wind-swept castles" appear at the beginning of the piece, suggested by a swiftly swirling figure in the clarinet. An ominous tone, possibly a portent of the "battle" to come, descends on the piece as a militaristic trumpet fanfare rings out. Tension mounts as quiet woodwind passages alternate with outbursts from the full orchestra. The largest of these outbursts finally dissolves into a contemplative section that precedes the "shadowy battles." Somewhat disappointing is the close of the work, undoubtedly depicting Bax's "triumph in a barbaric setting." Here, Bax inserts a march that is reminiscent of his score for the film Malta GC, written the year before Legend.

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