Charles Gounod composed this Requiem under the impact of the death of his four-year-old grandson, Maurice. According to information handed down, while finishing the details of this work he was overtaken by death. It was published posthumously (1895) in various constellations by his pupil, Henri Busser. The work was given an impressive performance on the occasion of the first anniversary of Gounod's death in the Parisian church of Sainte-Madeleine under the direction of Gabriel Fauré and it was highly acclaimed by the contemporary press. The version for large orchestra was published in 2011 by Carus for the first time in a critical edition. In order to make the work accessible to a wider public, Carus is now publishing an arrangement for chorus and organ. For performance, just two scores are required (for conductor and organist) together with vocal or chorus scores for the chorus.