The choral music of Maurice Durufle (1902-1986)
"Maurice Durufle was a music educator, church musician, musicologist, concert organist, and composer; it was, to a large extent, his work in the letter two categories to which his current reputation may be attributed. Ironically, Durufle undertook a very limited number of concert engagements, most of which were performed as duo-recitals with his wife, Marie-Madeleine Durufle-Chevalier. His compositional output is similarly scant, boasting only 14 works. Since Durufle spent most of his life in the organ loft of St. Etienne-du-Mont as church organist, one would logically expect that the majority of his compositions would be for that medium. This is indeed the case. However, his output also includes four choral compositions which have achieved widespread popularity not only in his native France, but in the United States as well. Three of the four choral works, (Requiem, Quatre Motets, and Messe ""Cum Jubilo""), make extensive use of Gregorian chant as a foundation for the structure of the composition. The fourth, Notre Pere, is a brief setting of the Lord's Prayer and does not incorporate chant. The recent popularity of these works is evidenced by their frequent inclusion on concert programs and choral recordings."
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign