Maurice Duruflé
French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé is known for a small number of extraordinary compositions, among which the Requiem is perhaps the finest and most often performed. His works, which, due to his crippling self-criticism, number only 14, are based on Gregorian chant. Characteristically, these melodies, which retain their original suppleness, are surrounded by complex modal harmonies that are generated by an intricate web of polyphony.
Duruflé was born in Louviers in Normandy, France. At the age of ten, he entered the choir school at the Rouen cathedral, where he studied piano, organ, and theory with Jules Haelling. It is during this time that Duruflé developed his affinity for Gregorian chant. He moved to Paris in 1919 and studied with Charles Tournemire, organist at St. Clotilde, where Duruflé later became his assistant. He also later became the assistant of Louis Vierne at Notre Dame. In 1920, Duruflé entered the Paris Conservatoire and studied organ with Eugène Gigout, harmony with Jean Gallon, accompaniment with Estyle, counterpoint and fugue with Georges Caussade, and composition with Paul Dukas. At the Conservatoire, Duruflé took first prizes in the areas of organ, harmony, accompaniment, counterpoint and fugue, and composition. In 1929, he won a prize from the Amis de l'Orgue for interpretation and improvisation.
In 1930, he was appointed to the position of organist at St. Etienne-du-Mont, which he held for the remainder of his life, sharing the appointment with his wife after 1953. That same year, he was again honored by the Amis de l'Orgue, this time for his Prelude, adagio et choral varié sur le "Veni Creator," Op. 4. In 1936, Duruflé received the Blumenthal Foundation Prize. He became Dupré's assistant for the organ class at the Paris Conservatoire in 1943. He was also appointed professor of harmony, a position that he held until 1969. The Duruflé Requiem was premiered in 1947 by Desormière. In addition, Duruflé was a highly esteemed organist, and he toured extensively throughout Europe and North America. His performing career was ended by an automobile accident in May 1975 that left him virtually bedridden until his death in 1986.
© Stephen Kingsbury /TiVo
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Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9 by Maurice Duruflé (2023 Remastered, Paris 1958)
Maurice Duruflé, Orchestre Lamoureux, Hélène Bouvier
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 31 Oct 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Requiem (Mono Version)
Maurice Duruflé, Hélène Bouvier, Orchestre Lamoureux
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9 (Full Orchestra Version, Stereo Version)
Chorale Philippe Caillard, Orchestre Lamoureux, Maurice Duruflé
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Paul Dukas: La Péri (Arr. for Organ) [Paul Dukas und seine Schüler Alain, Messiaen und Duruflé]
Sebastian Heindl, Paul Dukas, Jehan Alain, Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Duruflé
Classical - Released by Rondeau Production on 12 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vierne et Tournemire, aux grandes orgues Gonzalez de la cathédrale de Soissons (Stereo Version)
Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier, Maurice Duruflé
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Le Roi David (Mono Version)
Arthur Honegger, Maurice Duruflé, Janine Micheau
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Durufle
Master Chorale of Orange County
Classical - Released by Summit Records on 1 Jan 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Complete Choral Works
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 11 Apr 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maurice & Marie-Madeleine Duruflé (Notre-Dame de Paris)
Maurice Duruflé, Marie-Madeleine Durufle
Classical - Released by Solstice on 25 Aug 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Gloria & Concerto pour orgue, cordes et timbales (Stereo Version)
Georges Prêtre, Maurice Duruflé, Orchestre National de France
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Oeuvres pour orgue, orgue et choeur
Classical - Released by Saphir Productions on 15 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maurice & Marie-Madeleine Chevalier Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé, Marie-Madeleine Durufle
Classical - Released by Gothic on 21 Sep 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
M. Duruflé : Pièces pour orgue (Stereo Version) (Stereo Version)
Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier, Maurice Duruflé
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Gloria & Concerto pour orgue (Mono Version)
Maurice Duruflé, Orchestre National de France, Georges Prêtre
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Motets (Mono Version)
Maurice Duruflé, Orchestre de l'Anthologie Sonore, Félix Raugel
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Complete Sacred Choral Works
Classical - Released by Lammas on 29 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Organ Music
Michael Schneider, Maurice Duruflé
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 19 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé: Pièces pour orgue (Aux grandes orgues de l'église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont de Paris et de la cathédrale de Soissons) (Mono Version)
Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier, Maurice Duruflé
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Pièces pour orgue (Aux grandes orgues de l'église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont de Paris) (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duruflé - Reger - Dupré: Organ Works
Classical - Released by VDE-GALLO on 19 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schmitt: Psaume XLVII, Op. 38
Denise Duval, Maurice Duruflé, Chorale Elisabeth Brasseur, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Tzipine
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo