Maurice Duruflé was a French composer and organist, who wrote chamber music and works for choir, organ and orchestra. He was also organist of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris, professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, and formed a famous organ duo with his wife Marie-Madeleine Chevalier. Duruflé published only a handful of works, because he was highly critical. He was not easily pleased, and often continued to edit and change pieces after publication. The result of this perfectionism is that his music tends to be well polished, and is still frequently performed in concerts around the world, especially his organ music.
Duruflé's works are reminiscent of impressionism, and are characterized by clarity, poetry and a clear design. Besides, Gregorian chant is an important source of inspiration, which is evident from the use of medieval modes. For his most famous work, the Requiem, Duruflé took the Gregorian mass of the dead as his point of departure, and combined it with the structure and optimism of the Requiem of Fauré.

Currently Gabriel Pierné is primarily known as a conductor. From 1910 till 1933 he was the principal conductor of the concert series Concerts Colonne. He also led the premiere of Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird, performed by the Ballets Russes, for whom he also composed three succesful ballets.
Most of Pierné's compositions are forgotten today. Yet he was he striking figure of the French organ school, who succeeded César Franck as organist at the Sainte-Clotilde Basilica in Paris in 1890, where he displayed his talent on the organ of the influential builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
Besides a modest number of organ works, his oeuvre consists of operas, ballets, oratorios, orchestral works and chamber music. All of his works are marked by the influences of his teachers Franck and Massenet and a clear technique. His most famous works are the oratorio La Croisade des Enfants, Introduction et variations sur une ronde populaire for saxophone quartet and the Marche des petits soldats de plomb for piano.