Maurice Duruflé

[Daniel]

I've sung a lot of church music during my life, but the Duruflé Requiem is one of those pieces that haunts me to this day- and moves me to tears. It happened to be on the classical radio this evening- and hearing it took me back to places and people that I haven't thought of for a while. That's the gift of music: it can help us remember who and what we are.

And in that sense, that's what I've always liked- and loved- about church. The music. It has always taken me places that the spoken word alone cannot go.

If you haven't heard this work, you are missing something. There is something amazing in how the composer makes use of Gregorian Chant: it is transfixing and takes one towards liminal numinosity.

And those of you who know Fauré's Requiem, will know that - while both composers are French- the two works are quite different. One might say that the Duruflé Requiem appeals to the subconscious mind, while the Fauré Requiem is more classical, more transparent, and ascends straight up towards the heavens. Both are sensuous works. And both are wonderful to sing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 mixed choir with mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists. It exists in three orchestrations: one for organ alone, one for organ with string orchestra, and one for organ and full orchestra.

At the time the commission arrived, Duruflé was working on an organ suite using themes from Gregorian chants. Duruflé incorporated his sketches for that work into the Requiem, which uses many themes from the Gregorian "Mass for the Dead." Nearly all the thematic material in the work comes from chant.

The work is set in nine movements. Interestingly, the Dies irae text, perhaps the most famous portion of the Requiem mass, is not set as a movement by itself as usual. Overall, however, Duruflé chose the calmer and more meditative texts from the requiem.

In the full score, the fifth movement, "Pie Jesu," has the only solo for the mezzo-soprano; in addition, even in the "organ-only" version of the Requiem, there is an obbligato cello solo. The baritone soloist has parts in the third movement, "Domine Jesu Christe," and the penultimate movement, "Libera me."

Duruflé left indications in the score that, for the baritone soloist at least, it was preferable to have the choir sing the solos instead. This has resulted in various forces being used in different recordings, some with both soloists, some with only the mezzo-soprano, and some (such as Robert Shaw's Telarc recording) using no soloists at all.

I've sung the baritone solo's of the Duruflé as well as the Fauré, and the Duruflé's solos, while short, are full of passion. Once, I had to do it while in the midst of the flu- and another singer couldn't be found, so, fool that I was at the time, I went on. That took some doing- hearing one's voice on the edge the whole time- not sure if it was going to collapse or not. Somehow, I got through it.

The Fauré? That is etched in my mind for another reason: I had my debut as a soloist singing it with the Westminster Choir in Spoleto Italy- the same day that my grandfather died- though I didn't know it at the time- though I knew the whole day that something was wrong. And I thought is was about the affair I was having with a wonderful man, who is alas, no longer on the planet. (Richard- if you are listening- your warmth, heart and passion, is remembered and treasured.)

Here is one of the movements of the Duruflé.

[Daniel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_(Fauré)

Lucia Popp: Fauré Requiem Op.48 - Pie Jesu



King College Cambridge Faure Sanctus



Fauré Requiem Agnus Dei



And here is the tricky solo that many a baritone goes flat on....seeing that one has to keep the A's in tune: you musician's know what I mean.

The baritone is none other than Mack Harrell, father of the cellist Lynn Harrell. Mack Harrell's voice teacher, was my voice teacher's teacher. Got that?

Offertorium-Faure Requiem-Mack Harrell

[antonyh]

Thank you for sharing this. I love to discover new music and will take some time to become familiar with this work.

[BenL]

This seems only slightly related to Daniel's musical discourse and memories, but the way my mind works, it isn't.

Tomorrow, Charley and I have tickets to hear the Mozart Requiem. For those of you who are old enough to remember, it was sung at the funeral of JFK. Oooh, I don't have time to check that fact. Am I misremembering?

And, Daniel, don't forget the Rutter requiem ... another difficult piece, at least for amateur choirs.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by BenL

This seems only slightly related to Daniel's musical discourse and memories, but the way my mind works, it isn't.

Tomorrow, Charley and I have tickets to hear the Mozart Requiem. For those of you who are old enough to remember, it was sung at the funeral of JFK. Oooh, I don't have time to check that fact. Am I misremembering?

And, Daniel, don't forget the Rutter requiem ... another difficult piece, at least for amateur choirs.

That is a one work that defies description, breaking the heart and head in two- as anyone who has seen the movie Amadeus can attest- though I didn't know about it being used at the funeral of JFK: I do remember, however, the somber procession and my mother standing in the doorway crying as we watched TV. I was 6 years old.

Truth to tell: while I like the Rutter Requiem- it doesn't move like these others.

Enjoy the performance!

And speaking of Requiem's, there is, or course, the Verdi Requiem. And that just blows the top of my head off. It's operatic, of course. I have a newly released DVD of it with Price and Pavarotti- conducted by Von Karajan (it was never released after being filmed for some reason).

Here are some bits of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Requiem-.../dp/B0009DBXXQ

[Zerbie]

Ooh I love the Verdi!!! And the others.

Daniel, by any chance did you ever solo at WCC on the campus? If so, I might have heard you when I was a wee thing - I used to drag my parents to nearly every concert on that campus in the late 80s.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

Ooh I love the Verdi!!! And the others.

Daniel, by any chance did you ever solo at WCC on the campus? If so, I might have heard you when I was a wee thing - I used to drag my parents to nearly every concert on that campus in the late 80s.

I sang in some student recitals....and juries....required kind of thing. My big solo moment was in Italy. So- unless you were there- I doubt that you would have heard me.

The year I was there was a big Bach year. That's the year I really learned how to read music- by doing it. I think the Westminsters Choir did something like 18 Bach Cantata's- all in a short space of time. Wham!

I got up this morning and sang through the Offertorium.

[paul]

Here is one of the movements of the Duruflé.

Daniel,

That piece made me soar and at the same time left me in a puddle in a corner of myself. I love music. I am a sucker for melodic minor. sigh, that was stunning...

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by paul

That piece made me soar and at the same time left me in a puddle in a corner of myself.

That's how I feel too when I hear Durufle's music. It worms it's way into my heart (must be those curly-kew melodies). Makes my eyes roll back in my head. Off and away into some other land or heartspace. If you've ever sung Gergorian Chant, it has a similar effect. Very centering yet expansive at the same time.

[BenL]

For Daniel (& anyone else interested), here are the soloists in the Mozart Requiem we heard last night:

Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Krista River, mezzo-soprano
William Hite, tenor
Aaron Engebreth, baritone

Also on the program was Bejamin Britten's Cantata Misericordium, op. 69, with Hite and Engebreth as soloists.

Good evening of music. The local community chorus took on a challenging program and for the most part made wonderful music. It's good to see local people doing serious music. I think in this age of recorded music everywhere that we have lost the experience of making our own music. All in all, a rewarding listening experience.