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.