Maurice Duruflé
Encyclopedia
Maurice Duruflé was a French
composer
, organist
, and pedagogue.
Duruflé was born in Louviers
, Eure
. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral
Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling. At age 17, upon moving to Paris, he took private organ lessons with Charles Tournemire
, whom he assisted at Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Paris
until 1927. In 1920 Duruflé entered the Conservatoire de Paris
, eventually graduating with first prizes in organ, harmony, piano accompaniment, and composition. His harmony professor was Jean Gallon
.
In 1927, Louis Vierne
nominated him as his assistant at Notre-Dame
. Duruflé became titular organist of St-Étienne-du-Mont
in Paris in 1929, a position he held for the rest of his life. In 1936, he won the Prix Blumenthal
. In 1939, he premiered Francis Poulenc
's Organ Concerto
(the Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani in G minor); he had advised Poulenc on the registrations of the organ part. In 1943 he became Professor of Harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris
, where he worked until 1970.
In 1947, Duruflé wrote what is probably the most famous of his few pieces: the Requiem
op. 9, for soloists, choir, organ, and orchestra. The same year, Marie-Madeleine Chevalier became his assistant at St-Étienne-du-Mont. They married on 15 September 1953. (Duruflé's first marriage to Lucette Bousquet, contracted in 1932, ended in civil divorce in 1947 and was declared null by the Vatican on 23 June 1953.) The couple became a famous and popular organ duo, going on tour together several times throughout the sixties and early seventies.
(near Paris) in 1986, aged 84.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, and pedagogue.
Duruflé was born in Louviers
Louviers
Louviers is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.Louviers is from Paris and from Rouen.-Population:-Sights:Its church, Notre Dame, has parts which date from the thirteenth century...
, Eure
Eure
Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy.-History:...
Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling. At age 17, upon moving to Paris, he took private organ lessons with Charles Tournemire
Charles Tournemire
Charles Tournemire was a French composer and organist, notable partly for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant...
, whom he assisted at Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Paris
Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Paris
The Basilica of Saint Clotilde is a basilica church in Paris, located on the Rue Las Cases, in the area of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is best known for its imposing twin spires.-History:...
until 1927. In 1920 Duruflé entered the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, eventually graduating with first prizes in organ, harmony, piano accompaniment, and composition. His harmony professor was Jean Gallon
Jean Gallon
Jean Gallon was a French composer, choir conductor, and music educator. His compositional output consists of six antiphons for strings and organ, one mass, one ballet, and several art songs....
.
In 1927, Louis Vierne
Louis Vierne
Louis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
nominated him as his assistant at Notre-Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
. Duruflé became titular organist of St-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church in Paris, France, located on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the Ve arrondissement, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris....
in Paris in 1929, a position he held for the rest of his life. In 1936, he won the Prix Blumenthal
Prix Blumenthal
The Prix Blumenthal was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal — and the foundation she created, Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal — to discover young French artists, aid them financially, and in the process draw the United States...
. In 1939, he premiered Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
's Organ Concerto
Organ Concerto in G minor (Poulenc)
The Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings in G minor is a concerto composed by Francis Poulenc for the organ between 1934 and 1938. It has become one of the most frequently performed pieces of the genre not written in the Baroque period....
(the Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani in G minor); he had advised Poulenc on the registrations of the organ part. In 1943 he became Professor of Harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, where he worked until 1970.
In 1947, Duruflé wrote what is probably the most famous of his few pieces: the Requiem
Requiem (Duruflé)
The Requiem, op. 9, by Maurice Duruflé was commissioned in 1947 by the French music publisher Durand and is written in memory of the composer's father. The work is for SATB choir with mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists...
op. 9, for soloists, choir, organ, and orchestra. The same year, Marie-Madeleine Chevalier became his assistant at St-Étienne-du-Mont. They married on 15 September 1953. (Duruflé's first marriage to Lucette Bousquet, contracted in 1932, ended in civil divorce in 1947 and was declared null by the Vatican on 23 June 1953.) The couple became a famous and popular organ duo, going on tour together several times throughout the sixties and early seventies.
Death
Duruflé suffered severe injuries in a car accident on 29 May 1975, and as a result he gave up performing; indeed he was largely confined to his apartment, leaving the service at St-Étienne-du-Mont to his wife Marie-Madeleine (who was also injured in the accident). He died in LouveciennesLouveciennes
Louveciennes is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and adjacent to Marly-le-Roi.-Sights:...
(near Paris) in 1986, aged 84.
Other
Duruflé was highly critical of his own composition. He only published a handful of works and often continued to edit and change pieces after publication. For instance, the Toccata from Suite, op. 5 has a completely different ending in the first edition than in the more recent version, and the score to the Fugue sur le nom d'Alain originally indicated accelerando throughout. The result of this perfectionism is that his music, especially his organ music, holds a very high position in the repertoire.Organ solo
- Scherzo op. 2 (1926)
- Prélude, adagio et choral varié sur le theme du 'Veni Creator op. 4 (1930)
- Suite op. 5 (1932):
- Prélude
- Sicilienne
- Toccata
- Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain op. 7 (1942)
- Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie op. 13 (1961)
- Fugue sur de la cathédrale de Soissons op. 12 (1962)
- Méditation op. posth. (1964)
- Lecture à vue (unpublished)
- Fugue (unpublished)
- Lux aeterna (unpublished)
Piano solo
- Triptyque op. 1: Fantaisie sur des thèmes grégoriens (1927/1943, unpublished)
- Trois danses op. 6 (1932, piano version by the composer):
- Divertissement
- Danse lente
- Tambourin
Piano for 4 hands
- Trois danses op. 6 (1932, transcribed by the composer):
- Divertissement
- Danse lente
- Tambourin
Two pianos
- Trois danses op. 6 (1932, transcribed by the composer):
- Divertissement
- Danse lente
- Tambourin
Orchestra works
- Trois danses op. 6 (1932):
- Divertissement
- Danse lente
- Tambourin
- Andante et scherzo op. 8 (1940)
Choral works
- RequiemRequiem (Duruflé)The Requiem, op. 9, by Maurice Duruflé was commissioned in 1947 by the French music publisher Durand and is written in memory of the composer's father. The work is for SATB choir with mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists...
op. 9 for soloists, choir, orchestra, and organ (1947)- Version with Orchestra (1947)
- Version with Organ (1948)
- Version with small Orchestra (1961)
- Quatre motets sur des thèmes grégoriens op. 10 for choir a capella (1960):
- Ubi caritas et amor
- Tota pulchra es
- Tu es Petrus
- Tantum ergo
- Messe Cum jubilo op. 11 for baritone solo, male choir, and orchestra (1966):
- Version with Organ (1967)
- Version with Orchestra (1970)
- Version with small Orchestra (1972)
- Notre Père op. 14 for unison male choir and organ (1977)
- Version for 4-part mixed choir a capella (1978)
Miscellaneous works
- Hommage à Jean Gallon (1953)
- Sicilienne from Suite op. 5 for small orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet, unpublished)
Transcriptions
- Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: 4 Chorale Preludes for Organ , orchestrated by Maurice Duruflé (1942/1945):- Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (18 Chorales)
- Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein BWV 734
- O Lamm Gottes unschuldig BWV 656 (18 Chorales)
- In dir ist Freude BWV 615 (Orgelbüchlein)
- Louis VierneLouis VierneLouis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
: Soirs étrangers op. 56, for violoncello and piano, orchestrated by Maurice Duruflé (1943):- Grenade
- Sur le Léman
- Venise
- Steppe Canadien
- Poisson chinois
- Louis VierneLouis VierneLouis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
: Ballade du désespéré op. 61, poème lyrique for tenor solo and piano, orchestrated by Maurice Duruflé (1943) - Maurice Duruflé: Requiem op. 9, for voice and piano (1947)
- Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Two Chorales from Cantatas BWV 22 und 147 , arranged for organ solo by Maurice Duruflé (1952) - Louis VierneLouis VierneLouis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
: Trois Improvisations for organ (Notre-Dame-de-Paris, November 1928), transcribed by Maurice Duruflé (1954):- Marche épiscopale
- Méditation
- Cortège
- Charles TournemireCharles TournemireCharles Tournemire was a French composer and organist, notable partly for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant...
: Cinq Improvisations for organ (Ste. Clotilde, Paris, 1930/1931), transcribed by Maurice Duruflé (1956–1958):- Petite rapsodie improvisée
- Cantilène improvisée
- Improvisation sur le "Te Deum"
- Fantaisie-Improvisation sur l'"Ave maris stella"
- Choral-Improvisation sur le "Victimae paschali"
- Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
: Prélude de Pelléas et Mélisande , transcribed for organ solo by Maurice Duruflé - Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
: Lamentation , transcribed for organ solo by Maurice Duruflé
External links
- Association de Maurice et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé
- http://www.requiemsurvey.org/composers.php?id=274
- http://pseudo-poseidonios.net/durufle/
- http://www.musimem.com/durufle-maurice.htm