One of the finest organists of the late 20th century
Widely regarded by performers and public alike as one of the finest organists of the second half of the 20th century, Marie-Claire Alain, who has died at the age of 86, was a pioneering spirit in the application of historically informed principles to her instrument. She also had more than 260 recordings to her credit, including three complete cycles of the works of JS Bach.
Those recordings and others of early repertoire, notably by Buxtehude and from the French Baroque, were characterised by her scrupulous choice of instrument for each individual piece and by meticulous scholarly preparation in terms of registration, fingering and articulation. But she was also noted for her interpretations of Liszt, Franck and Mendelssohn, and of the works of her brother Jehan (1911-40), who died in action in the second world war. She produced an edition of his music from sketches and manuscript sources, and recorded a pair of CDs.
The family into which she was born in the western Parisian suburb of St Germain-en-Laye was a distinguished musical dynasty. Her father, Albert Alain, was a composer, as were her two brothers, Olivier (1918–94) and the better-known Jehan. It was from hearing the latter play at an early stage that she felt she really learned music, acquiring works by ear: throughout her career she frequently played from memory. At the Paris Conservatoire she then studied with Maurice Duruflé for harmony, Marcel Dupré for organ, Simone Plé-Caussade for counterpoint and fugue, and Marcel Beaufils for aesthetics, gaining four premiers prix. She went on to win a prize at the Geneva international competition (1950) and following further studies with André Marchal and Gaston Litaize embarked on a career as a concert organist.
Her first recording, a joint venture between the Haydn Society and Erato – the label's first recording – was of then unpublished pieces by JS Bach. The initial intention was to record just the trio sonatas and some of the toccatas and fugues, but so well were the discs received that a complete cycle was launched; it was finished in 1968.
In the years following that, the fruits of the explosion of early music scholarship seemed to call for a second traversal, which was undertaken between 1975 and 1978. Then for the first time Alain had access to newly restored instruments of Bach's day as opposed to copies, and the resulting ability to match the characteristics of particular organs with specific pieces led to a third cycle, which was initiated in 1986.
For the earlier pieces she chose Schnitger organs in Holland, while the Treutmann instrument at Goslar in Lower Saxony, with its graver, fleshier sound was felt to be more suitable for the works from the end of Bach's life. Organs by Gottfried Silbermann, a friend of Bach's with whom he worked closely for many years, also feature prominently in the third cycle. It benefited too from advances in musicological knowledge with regard to fingering, accentuation and the position of the hands on the keyboard, entailing a comprehensive rethinking of approach.
Alain summarised her three Bach cycles as follows: the first "more instinctive"; the second "more considered"; and the third enjoying "the benefit of a long life of work and of research". In general the instruments used for the third cycle are characterised by their fiery brilliance and clarity, a combination that Alain deployed to superb effect in the big toccatas, preludes and fugues.
Her interpretations of these works were magisterial: less inclined towards the subjectivity and rhythmic freedom that were by then gaining ground but deeply expressive in their own terms, and undeniably authoritative. The more intimate chorale preludes were delivered with colourful registration and the trio sonatas with sparkling articulation and exuberant vitality.
Other projects of note included the complete organ works of Duruflé for Erato and a prizewinning Liszt recording. She was also a distinguished teacher, her pupils including Margaret Phillips, Daniel Roth and Thomas Trotter. Among her various distinctions, she was a grand officier of the Légion d'Honneur and a commandeur of the Ordre National du Merité.
In 1950 she married Jacques Gommier, and they had a son, Benoît, and daughter, Aurélie. Jacques died in 1992, and Benoît in 2010.
• Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain, organist, born 10 August 1926; died 26 February 2013