Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) “Rafe,” don’t call me Ralph! Duruflé’s Requiem tenderly brings us peace, light, and hope. His great care in matching the rhythms implied by the Gregorian chants upon which the requiem is based give the whole a gentle flowing sense that never abates. Duruflé published the Requiem in three versions: for organ alone for full orchestra and for organ and string quintet with harp, trumpets and timpani ad libitum.ĭuruflé’s mid-twentieth century harmonies and his frequent use of sopranos and altos singing at the higher ends of their respective ranges, to youthful effect, also conveys a delicate tenderness to this work. The piece is in the true French tendresse style, leaving out the chilling full Dies Irae and accentuating the aspect of forgiveness through the inclusion of a separate Pie Jesu and through constant repetition of the phrase ‘Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine’. He accomplished this pleasing feat in several ways. Instead, Duruflé addresses the spiritual issues that surround life hereafter with tenderness and hope. If “requiem” conjures images of heaviness and mourning darkness, this Requiem will not meet expectations. Although he came from a different liturgical tradition, Duruflé used similar texts to those used by Fauré in his requiem. At the same time, he clothed the sometimes archaic-sounding melodies in sophisticated harmonies of the early modern school. His declared intention was ‘to reconcile, as far as possible, Gregorian rhythm…with the exigencies of modern meter.’ That is, he did not transcribe literally the original melodies with their irregular alternation of twos and threes he adjusted the rhythms subtly so that larger metric patterns emerge, but still he allowed the meter to shift frequently so that a sense of spontaneity is preserved. When he came to write his Requiem in 1947, like the earliest composers of polyphonic Requiems, Duruflé took the Gregorian plainchant Mass for the Dead as his raw material. The Solesmes school of chant restoration and performance achieved widespread acceptance in the Catholic church and even some Protestant congregations.Īfter a thorough steeping in this tradition, Duruflé came to Paris and studied at the Conservatoire, where he confronted the tradition of Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel. This repertory of liturgical song had become something of a French specialty in the 19th century, and among the scholars working on the chants were a group of Benedictines at the French monastery of Solesmes, who developed a theory of chant rhythm as a free succession of notes of mostly equal value in groups of two and three. Duruflé’s early musical training was at the cathedral in Rouen, where there was a famous school of Gregorian chant. In fact, there are only 14 published Opus numbers to his name. Like his mentor, Paul Dukas, whose work, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice became unforgettable in the film, Fantasia, Maurice Duruflé was incredibly self-effacing, and spent considerable time re-working his compositions until they achieved what he felt was the correct level of perfection. Music has the ability to go straight to the heart and lift the community in ways that only music can. I am excited and honored to lead our singers and orchestra in these performances. We are committed to presenting choral/orchestral masterworks at the highest artistic level. The Choral Society will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next season. Valdis, the winner of many international voice competitions, will join us in his premiere performance with the Santa Barbara Choral Society. We are excited to share this transcendent music with our audience.īoth works feature our wonderful baritone soloist, Valdis Jansons. It seemed fitting to me that, especially at this time, as we emerge from a devastating pandemic and witness the horrifying images of war, we spread a message of love, peace and hope. Requiem by Maurice Durufle and Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams are two beautiful choral/orchestral works of the 20th century.
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