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Jehan - Ariste Alain
1911 - 1940
France
Jehan Alain (03/02/1911 - 20/06/1940), a French composer (born in St-Germain-en-Laye). Brother of the famous organist Marie-Claire Alain (10/08/1926).
Requiem
It contains only: 'Kyrie', 'Sanctus' and 'Agnus Dei'; the length is ca. 6'50.
Alain often said: "In the heart of man there is anything and everything."
Apparently he had an innate gift - a poet's gift - for capturing the finest images of life: 'a face once glimpsed, a bough stirring in the wind, a scent wafting on the night air or a familiar rhythm.
Though short, his Requiem, composed in 1938, has all the fluidity and purity of Gregorian chant, sung a cappella.
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