Sacred Music Conference
Maurice duruflé: A liturgical musician
March 3, 2012
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
Join Us for the Day ...
Maurice Duruflé was a teacher, recitalist, and virtuosic imporoviser, committed to the church. Influenced by the Roman Catholic liturgy, French choral music, the architectural heritage of France and its complex political social and cultural history, his life was lived in the midst of what James Frazier calls "a ferocious struggle of the sacred versus secular." Duruflé managed to bring the two "into a respectful accommodation" through his exposure to the Solesmes method of chant and his later affinity for the harmonies of Debussy, Ravel and Dukas.
Throughout the past century, Duruflé has influenced music in both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, often without an understanding of what propoelled him. A hundred and ten years after his birth, we face a different struggle. With perspective at a distance from his time and place, we in our time and place may learn what may or may nt provide helpful insights in our work today.
James Frazier, an expert on Duruflé and author of Maurice Duruflé: The Man and His Music, will lead us into this topic. He will be joined by Anthony Ruff, a monk who teaches at St. John's University in Collegeville; Dirk Lange, a former brother at Taizé who teaches at Luther Seminary; and Christopher Aspaas, a choral conductor who teaches at St. Olaf College.
Registration
Online registration will open after December 1.
A downloadable brochure will be available after December 1.
Pre-registration deadline is Friday, February 24. Registration at the door is not guaranteed.
Plenary Session
Morning Plenary : Maurice Duruflé: A Liturgical Musician - James Frazier, Presenter.
Maurice Durufle was the epitome of a liturgical musician, as contrasted with the concept of the pastoral musician. His gifts to the liturgy at St. Etienne-du-Mont in Paris were in every way a service to the worship of God. Drawing on the aesthetic philosophy of Susanne Langer, this plenary will consider the objective nature of the liturgy, how it is an icon of Christ, and how the objective character of music, as it appears in the work of Duruflé, is essentially suited to it.
Afternoon Panel Discussion - Paul Westermeyer, Moderator.
Conference clinicians will address topics like contrasts between a "liturgical" and a "pastoral" musician, and between linearity and circularity in worship.
- The Organ Music of Maurice Duruflé - James Frazier
- The Chant of the Monks of Solesmes and Its Influence on Duruflé - Anthony Ruff
- What's So Special about Duruflé's Choral Music?- Christopher Aspaas
- Ubi Caritas: Taizé Music and the Prayer of a Community - Dirk Lange
More Information
For more information about the Sacred Music Conference, contact:
Kris Rongstad
Luther Seminary, MSM Office
2481 Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
651-523-1612
krongsta@luthersem.edu
