The French composer Lili Boulanger created the work Psaume 130: Du fond de l'abîme for alto and tenor solo, choir, organ and orchestra in 1910 (revised in 1917).

This psalm, composed shortly before her early death at the end of the First World War due to a long illness, is a significant work of modern music not only for France.

Gabriel Fauré's Requiem op. 48 is a composition for soprano and baritone soloists, four- to six-part choir and orchestra.

Fauré completed the composition of his Requiem - his only major work with a religious text as its basis - in 1887 at the age of 42. He wrote the work between the death of his father (1885) and that of his mother (1887), although according to the composer, these events did not trigger the composition. It was first performed on January 16, 1888 at La Madeleine in Paris to commemorate the architect Joseph-Michel Le Soufaché. The choir comprised only around 30 singers (20-25 boys and 8-10 men) and the instrumental line-up consisted only of divided violas, cellos, double bass, solo violin, harp, timpani and organ.

In the course of the following years, Fauré produced a second version with a larger orchestra, including wind instruments, which was completed in 1893.

However, Fauré's Requiem achieved great fame in the version for large symphony orchestra. This was created at the instigation of the publisher Julien Hamelle. The publisher refused to publish the work in its original version for chamber orchestra. It has not yet been possible to clarify to what extent Fauré was involved in the creation of this version. It appears that Jean Roger-Ducasse is the author of the orchestration for large orchestra. The premiere of this version took place in 1900 on the occasion of the Paris World Exhibition in front of around 5000 listeners. The Requiem was also played at Fauré's funeral (1924).