Maurice Duruflé

Synopsis

French organist, teacher and composer

• Born in Louviers, France on January 11, 1902
• 1912-1918 he recieved his musical education from a choir school in Rouen
• During this time he was deputy at the cathedral under Jules Haeling who was a pupil of Guilmant.
• The plainsong chant that was sung there would become a prominent influence in his composing career
• Tournemire prepared him to enter into the Conservatoire
• 1920 He became deputy organist at St. Clothilde
• During this time he also turned to Vierne as a teacher
• He got the richness of modal harmony and plainsong from Tournemire and structure, proportion and a scope of what the organ can do from Vierne.
• 1920 he entered the Conservatoire
• He achieved premier pix from 5 classes: organ with Gigout (1922), harmony with Jean Gallon (1924), fugue with Cussade (1924), accompaniment with Estyle (1926) and composition with Dukas (1928)
• 1927 he became deputy organist at Notre-Dame with Vierne
• Vierne hoped that Duruflé would succeed him.
• 1930 appointed organist at St Etienne-du-Mont. He stayed there the rest of his life
• 1936 he won the Prix Blumenthal
• 1939 he premiered Poulenc's Organ Concerto in G min. He advised Poulenc on registration for the organ part.
• 1942 he was deputy to Dupré as professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire
• 1943-70 he was the professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire
• He taught Cochereau, Guillou, and Marie Claire Alain
• He toured throughout Europe, the USA and the USSR
• 1975 he was seriously injured in car accident and quit performing so his wife Jeanne Marie-Madeline took over most of his duties at St Etienne-du-Mont
• Died in Paris, France, on June 16, 1986

• 1924-76 he composed music for the organ, piano, orchestra, and choir. His organ works include transcriptions of improvisations of Vierne. His works are mostly based off of plainsong and chant. His most famous are his Suite op. 5 for organ and Prelude and Fugue on the name Alain Op. 7.

For details, see the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Durufle Wikipedia article on Maurice Duruflé].

List of Organ Works

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Opus	Title	Year
Op. 2	"Scherzo"	1926
Op. 4	"Prélude, adagio et choral varié sur le theme du 'Veni Creator'"	1930
Op. 5	"Suite"	1932
Op. 7	''Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain''	1942
Op. 13	''Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie''	1961
Op. 12	"Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons"	1962
Op. posth.	"Méditation"	1964 I- I Op. Unpublished II "Lecture à vue" II I- I Op. Unpublished II "Fugue" II I- I Op. Unpublished II "Lux aeterna" II

Background and General Perspectives on Performing Duruflé Organ Works

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Registration and Organs

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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page

Fingering and Pedaling

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Articulation and Phrasing

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Ornamentation

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Tempo and Meter

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Scores and Editions

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Recordings

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Free Online

• Suite Op. 5 -Toccata

  * https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nyZwCnGB9hY

• Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op. 7

   * https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pf6mecbv8

• Prélude, adagio et choral varié sur le theme du 'Veni Creator'

   * https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M0FChpaDJcw

Pay to Listen

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Other Resources

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Notes

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