Person · Female
Marie‐Claire Alain
organist
- From
- Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
- Active
- 1926–2013
- Rating
- ★ 5
- Releases
- 77
About
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.
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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.
Discography
Albums
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Sept Sonates d'église pour orchestre et orgue
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Requiem
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Trois concertos
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Messe Solennelle De Saint Hubert
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Trompette et orgue, vol. 3
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Trompette et orgue, vol. 4
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Les Concertos pour Orgue Vol. 1
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Treize Noëls pour orgue
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Symphonies pour orgue
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Litanies a la Vierge Noire / Quatre Motets pour un Temps de Penitence / Laudes a Saint Antoine de Padoue / Ave Verum Corpus / Salve Regina / Exultate Deo
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Toccata / Symphonie gothique / Symphonie n° 6
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Toccata et Fugue / Passacaglia / Fugue / Concerto / Fantaisie & Fugue
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Chorals pour Orgue
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Concertos pour orgue
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Praeludium / Passacaglia / Chorals...
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Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, S. 565 / Passacaglia and Fugal Theme S. 582 and other works for organ
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Préludes et fugues / Sonates / Andante varié
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Toccata & Fugue / Passacaglia
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Noëls pour orgue
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Préludes & Fugues / Chorals Pour Orgue
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Concertos pour Orgue
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Concerto pour orgue / Concert champêtre pour clavecin
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Toccata, Adagio & Fugue / Pastorale / Préludes & Fugues / Toccata & Fugue
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La Nativité du Seigneur / Apparition de l'Église éternelle / Le Banquet céleste
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Organ Works
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Missa Choralis / Via Crucis
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Vierne, Alain & Langlais: Messes pour chœurs et deux orgues
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4 symphonies pour orgue
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Symphonie nº 3 avec orgue / La Jeunesse d'Hercule
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Les Plus Belles Pages de l'Orgue
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Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080
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Bach L'Art de la fugue
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Toccaten und Fugen, BWV 538, 566 / Praeludium und Fuge, BWV 535 / Orgelbüchlein BWV 618-632
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Les bis pour Orgue
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Toccata & Fugue en Ré mineur / Chorals Schübler / Passacaille & Fugue
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Great Toccatas
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Les Grandes Toccatas
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Great Organ Works
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La Messe
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Requiem / Messe "cum jubilo" / Motets
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L´Oeuvre Pour Orgue / Famous Organ Works
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Complete Works for Organ, Volume 1
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Concertos Pour 2, 3 Et 4 Orgues
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Premier livre d'orgue: Les Hymnes
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Complete Works for Organ, Volume 2
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Symphony no. 3 'Organ' / Le Rouet d'Omphale / Danse macabre / Poulenc: Organ Concerto
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Orgues du Jura Franco-Suisse Volume 2
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Organ Masterpieces, Volume 2
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Concerts au grand orgue de Saint-Étienne‐du‐Mont à Paris
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Organ Masterpieces, Volume 1
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Complete organ works
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Poulenc: Organ Concerto / Alain, Duruflé: Organ Works
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Haydn in London
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Marie-Claire Alain joue Jehan Alain
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Trompette & orgue
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L'Œuvre pour orgue, vol. 1
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Saint‐Saëns: Messe, op. 4 / Gounod: Messe chorale
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L'Œuvre pour orgue, vol. 2
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Sonates en Trio BWV 525-530
Live
Compilations
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From Bach to Bach (The Organist of the Century)
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Complete Works For Organ
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Organ Symphonies, 4, 5, 6 & 9 / Organ Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 (excerpts)
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Complete Works for Organ
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Works for Organ
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Cathedrale
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Messe du couronnement / Vêpres solennelles pour un confesseur / Ave verum
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Works for Organ
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Couperin: Messe pour les paroisses / Messe pour les couvents / Clérambault: Suite du deuxième ton
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Concertos pour orgue
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Trompette et Orgue
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Italy etc. Œuvres pour orgue
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Maurice André & Marie-Claire Alain jouent J.S. Bach / T. Albinoni / G.F. Haendel
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Orgelkonzerte von Händel & Haydn / Orgelwerke von Pachelbel & J. S. Bach
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Les Concertos pour Orgue Vol. 2
Links
Parent
Sibling
Teacher
- Damien Hérisset
- Michael Matthes
- Anne Page
- Pierre‐Yves Asselin
- David Noël-Hudson
- Henri de Rohan-Csermak
- Daniel Roth
- Jean Ferrard
- David Titterington
- Emmanuel Mandrin
- Jean-Baptiste Robin
- Marina Tchebourkina
- Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet
- Vincent Warnier
- Pieter van Dijk
- Yves Devernay
- Charles Benbow
- Gabriel Marghieri
- Daniel Matrone
- Lynne Davis
- Marie-Bernadette Carrau
- Bruno Morin
- James Higdon
- Liesbeth Schlumberger
- Cherry Rhodes
- Daniel Zaretsky
- Marcus Huxley
- Monique Gendron
- Jon Laukvik
- Marcel Dupré
- Maurice Duruflé
- Yves Nat
- Simone Plé-Caussade
- Jessica Cottis
- Olivier Vernet
- Jörg-Hannes Hahn
- Jan Overduin
- Samuel Kummer
Tags
- organist
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 17246659-e5fc-4a1e-b29c-10f8a3f6bdfb
- ISNI
- 0000000109270785
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 8 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.