Marie-Claire Alain

Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world. She taught many of the world's prominent organists. She was a specialist in Bach, making three recordings of his complete organ works, as well as French organ music.

She was the sister of the famous organist-composers Jehan Alain and Olivier Alain and was the daughter of amateur organbuilder Albert Alain.

Alain was commonly deemed one of the most illustrious organists of her generation, and bore an international reputation. Critics were unanimous in praising the clarity of her playing, the purity of her style, the intense and lively musicality of her interpretations and her fluency in the art of organ registration.

Background and education Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain, the youngest of the four Alain children, was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 August 1926. Her father Albert Alain (1880–1971) was an organist and composer, as were her brothers Jehan (1911–1940) and Olivier (1918–1994). Her mother was Magdeleine-Claire Alberty (born 1890).

At the age of 11 she began assisting her father when he played organ in the parish church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She also studied harmony there with Maurice Duruflé.

She taught at the conservatory of Rueil-Malmaison and the Paris Conservatory. Marcus Huxley, Gunnar Idenstam, Wolfgang Karius, Jon Laukvik, Michael Matthes, Domenico Morgante, Daniel Roth, Wolfgang Rübsam, David Sanger, Helga Schauerte, Dong-ill Shin, :de:Martin Strohhäcker, Marina Tchebourkina, Thomas Trotter, Fritz Werner and the Hungarian Zsuzsa Elekes. Upon her death, the list of her students was described as a "who's who of the present-day organ world". Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (2010; France)