Maurice Duruflé wrote comparatively few pieces, and the Notre Père (a setting of the "Our Father" prayer from Matthew 6:9-13) is his last and shortest. It was written in 1976, one year after a serious car crash that ended his career as an organist; its beseeching text was perhaps chosen to reflect Duruflé's situation. The setting, for a cappella SATB choir, is syllabic and homophonic (i.e., the voices move together most of the time), with a flexible, text-based rhythm. Much like Stravinsky's Three Motets, written during his Neo-Classical phase between 1926 and 1934, it is very simple, even severe, but beautiful and moving. ~ David A. McCarthy, All Music Guide
