Sometimes paired with the Fugue on the Carillon of the Cathedral of Soissons, which Duruflé composed at about the same time, this prelude, as billed, is based on plainsong, one of Duruflé's most vital interests. The theme—originally sung to the words "Ecce Advenit dominator Dominus"—rolls gently upward and hovers at the top of the staff; Duruflé gives it a rich harmonization familiar from the romanticized Gregorian style of his Requiem. The piece holds little structural interest; a brief, free meditation on the theme is repeated a couple of times with different registrations. The music's appeal lies in its bright yet low-key optimism and its plush treatment of austere medieval material.

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