Requiem (Duruflé)

Maurice Duruflé based much of the melodic material on Gregorian chants from the Mass for the Dead. In the 1947 Requiem, Op. 9, those ancient melodies are placed within modern French harmonies and flowing choral textures.

Duruflé did not set the full dramatic Dies irae sequence found in requiems by composers such as Verdi. His nine-movement work emphasizes consolation, including "Pie Jesu," "Agnus Dei," and the concluding "In Paradisum."

Duruflé prepared versions with full orchestra, reduced orchestra, and organ accompaniment. This allows the work to be performed in both concert halls and churches without changing its central choral material.

Duruflé's work shares the serene, consoling character of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem and likewise avoids making the Day of Judgment its dramatic center. Duruflé composed his setting in 1947, several decades after Fauré's work.