Marie-Claire Alain is a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

 and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career. She is particularly known for her ability to perform substantial works entirely from memory.

Background and education

Marie-Claire Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...

, near Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. Her father, Albert Alain (1880–1971) was an organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

 and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, as were her brothers, Jehan

Jehan Alain

Jehan Ariste Alain was a French organist and composer.-Biography:Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the western suburbs of Paris, into a family of musicians. His father, Albert Alain was an enthusiastic organist, composer and organ-builder who had studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Louis...

 (1911–1940) and Olivier

Olivier Alain

Olivier Alain was a French organist, pianist, musicologist and composer.- Life :Olivier Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, into a musical family. His father was the organist and composer Albert Alain , as well as his elder brother Jehan Alain , and his sister, French organist...

 (1918–1994). Alain studied in the Paris Conservatory, in the organ class of Marcel Dupré

Marcel Dupré

Marcel Dupré , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Marcel Dupré was born in Rouen . Born into a musical family, he was a child prodigy. His father Albert Dupré was organist in Rouen and a friend of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who built an organ in the family house when...

, where she was awarded four first prizes.

Musical career

Alain has recorded the complete organ works of J.S. Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

 three separate times, and has also recorded the complete works of over a dozen other major composers for the organ, as well as many individual important works. She is the most-recorded organist in the world, with over 260 recordings in her catalogue.

Alain has had a long association with the St Albans International Organ Festival

St Albans International Organ Festival

The International Organ Festival is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme...

.

Her pupils include Dr. James M. Higdon, Jr, George C. Baker

George C. Baker

George C. Baker is an American organist, composer, pedagogue, and dermatologist.- Biography :George C. Baker received his first musical instruction at age four. In 1961, he began to take organ lessons with Phil Baker, organist at Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas. He completed his organ...

, Diane Bish

Diane Bish

Diane Joyce Bish, born on May 25, 1941, in Kansas, is an organist and composer as well as executive producer of the Joy of Music television series. As a concert organist, she performs frequently at recitals throughout North America and Europe....

, Guy Bovet

Guy Bovet

Guy Bovet is a Swiss organist and composer.Bovet studied under Marie Dufour in Lausanne, Pierre Segond in Geneva and Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. From 1979 to 1999 he taught Spanish organ music at the University of Salamanca, and since 1989 he has been Professor of Organ at the Musikhochschule in...

, James David Christie

James David Christie

James David Christie is an American organist with an extensive performance career throughout the world and especially in Europe. He is Chair and Professor of Organ at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, College Organist at Wellesley College and the Distinguished Artist in Residence at the College...

, Monique Gendron

Monique Gendron

Monique Gendron is a Canadian organist of international renown. She won first prize at the St Albans International Organ Festival in England and at the Grand Prix of Chartes in France. She has recorded sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel with oboist Bernard Jean and has...

, Gerre Hancock

Gerre Hancock

Gerre Edward Hancock is an American organist, improviser, and composer. Hancock is currently Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at the University of Texas, Austin.Dr...

, Marcus Huxley

Marcus Huxley

Marcus Huxley is an English cathedral organist, who serves in St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham.-Background:Marcus Richard Huxley was born on 11 December 1949 in Chelmsford...

, Wolfgang Karius

Wolfgang Karius

Wolfgang Karius is a German conductor, organist and harpsichordist.-Biography:Karius was born at Gummersbach.He attended the Hochschule für Musik Köln where he studied organ under Wolfgang Stockmeier and Michael Schneider and the harpsichord under Hugo Ruf...

, Jon Laukvik

Jon Laukvik

Jon Laukvik is a Norwegian organist.Laukvik studied church music, organ and piano in Oslo. Afterwards he worked with Michael Schneider and Hugo Ruf in Cologne and Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. 1980 he was appointed professor of organ at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart...

, Michael Matthes

Michael Matthes

-Education:Matthes received his first organ tuition from Marie-Claire Alain. In 1985, after three years of studies at the Paris Conservatory with Odile Pierre, he won first prize. Only one year later he won a first price of excellence. During the same time he studied Analysis, Harmony, Counterpoint...

, Margaret Phillips, Daniel Roth

Daniel Roth (organist)

Daniel François Roth , is a French organist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Roth began his musical training at the conservatory in his home town, Mulhouse with Professeur Joseph Victor Meyer...

, Wolfgang Rübsam

Wolfgang Rübsam

Wolfgang Friedrich Rübsam is a German-American organist, pianist, composer and pedagogue.-Biography:...

, Dong-ill Shin

Dong-ill Shin

Dong-Ill Shin won first prize in the national competition for piano sponsored by the Korean Times at the age of ten. When he was eleven he made his debut with the Pusan Philharmonic Orchestra playing Mozart's Concerto in d minor No. 20. Attracted by J.S. Bach's Music and the orchestra-like colors...

, Thomas Trotter

Thomas Trotter

Thomas Trotter is a British concert organist. He is Birmingham City Organist and organist of St. Margaret's, Westminster and visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, London....

, and Fritz Werner

Fritz Werner

Fritz Werner was a German choral conductor, church music director, conductor, organist and composer...

.