Marcel Dupré and Jehan Alain are among the most
important 20th century French composers of organ
music. Historically, they are at the end of the great
symphonic-romantic organ tradition that developed
in France during the second half of the 19th century.
The Trois Préludes et Fugues op. 7 are among
Dupré’s earliest works, and they are also his most
famous. When he wrote hisTrois Esquisses, on the
other hand, he was already thinking about his
legacy. He dedicated this work to his pupil Jeanne
Demessieux, whom he viewed as his best student
and hoped that she would become his artistic heir.
Unfortunately, a rift developed between Dupré and
Demessieux in 1945.
Jehan Alain’s unorthodox, exceptionally versatile
talent was apparent early on. In addition to music,
he also expressed himself through poetry and art. His
Trois Danses are the epitome of his compositional
work. He completed them at the front in World War
II, which he would not survive.
There are a number of links between Alain and
Gunther Rost: for one, Gunther Rost studied for
many years with Marie-Claire Alain, Jehan Alain’s
sister. She, in turn, was a pupil of Marcel Dupré.
During his studies in Paris, Gunther Rost was
appointed docent at the Würzburg Academy of Music
before taking over the Institute for Organ at the
University for Music and Theater in Graz, Austria in
2008 at age 27.