Maurice Duruflé was a highly self-critical composer whose musical language can be viewed as a synthesis of the impressionist tradition of Debussy and Ravel and the modal, Gregorian-inspired style of Fauré. Although his best-known work is the Requiem, his distinctive and powerful organ music continues the French tradition of organ-playing and composition. The Prélude sur l’Introït de l’Épiphanie demonstrates Duruflé’s mastery in capturing the shape and colour of plainsong. With its perfect architectural balance and proportions, the Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain written in memory of Duruflé’s colleague Jehan Alain, killed in action in 1940, has become one of Duruflé ’s most popular organ works.