With Marie-Claire Alain disappears an immense virtuoso of the organ, of which she was the tireless ambassador for seventy-five years. Starting at the Saint-Germain en Laye organ at the age of eleven, of which she was a long-time tenor, her phenomenal career took her around the world, until she was nicknamed the first lady, First Lady of the Organ in the United States.
Through a monumental discography (more than 250 recordings including several gold records) as in her work as a teacher, she made known and loved the richness of this instrument of grace and majesty. In charge of the cycle for organist at the Conservatoire de Paris, after that of Rueil-Malmaison, teacher in many academies around the world, she has trained entire generations of organists.
She will remain as the great muse of the organ, which took care of everything: the problems of interpretation as well as those of the organ design. An heiress to a tradition that dates back to Bach, embracing Couperin, Händel, César Franck and his older brother, composer Jehan Alain.