Duruflé - Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain op. 7 (with score)

The Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain op. 7 by Maurice Duruflé, as played by Vincent Warnier at Duruflé's church of St. Étienne du Mont.

Prélude - 0:00
Fugue - 6:35

Maurice Duruflé, despite writing only a very small body of works, is one of the most important French sacred composers of the 20th century. His Requiem Op. 9 is his most famous work, but he also wrote an important body of solo organ music. He was also famous as an organist, being the titulaire of St. Étienne du Mont, as well as giving the premieres of important organ works such as Poulenc's Organ Concerto. His transcriptions of improvisations of his teacher, Charles Tournemire, are also popular concert repertoire today.

The Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain op. 7 is perhaps his most played, and most substantial, solo organ work. The piece was written in 1942 and dedicated to Jehan Alain, a Swiss organist and composer who was tragically killed in World War 2. In order to turn his name into a musical motif, Duruflé invents a musical 'alphabet': the letters a - h are the same as their note names, after which Duruflé just repeats the cycle, so i=a, j=b, k=c, l=d, m=e and n=f. Matching this to Alain's surname produces the melody fragment a-d-a-a-f, which Duruflé subjects to wide variation and development. In addition, in the Prélude Duruflé bases the second subject on (and later quotes) the theme of Alain's "Litanies", his most popular work. This piece is thus a touching tribute from one great master to another, sensitively played here by Duruflé's successor at St. Étienne du Mont, Vincent Warnier.