All Souls' Day Prayer

 Maurice Durufle's Requiem uses the Chant melodies of the Catholic Requiem Mass as the foundation of his marvelous harmonization.

Here is the In Paradisum from Durufle's work.

Text:  May the angels lead you into Paradise; may the Martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem.  May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once poor, may you have eternal rest.

We know that in all well-written liturgical music, the text (Word) is primary.  That is to say that the music serves to illustrate the text.  Durufle's realization of that text does exactly that.

The opening organ introduction's pitches are on an upward path towards Paradise.  The first few words on an ascending melodic motif are clearly addressed to the deceased, as though one were standing at the casket, and they are voiced for women, who are most often portrayed as the mourners at funerals.

The piece is written in D#, which "expresses majesty, grandeur, pomp, and adapts itself well to triumphal processions, festival marches, and pieces in which stateliness is the prevailing feature."  The choir enters on "chorus angelorum"-- choir of angels--singing harmony which is noticeably 'pacific.'  Durufle uses a triplet on both Lazaro and paupere to emphasize the description of Lazarus, "poor".  Then Durufle dramatically lengthens the words 'aeternum habeas requiem'--'eternally have rest'.  That 'stately procession to eternal rest in paradise' comes to an end.

For those souls whose procession to paradise is not yet complete, let us pray.