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4 unusual facts about Alexandre Guilmant


Alexandre Guilmant

His American achievements included a 1904 series of no fewer than 40 recitals on the largest organ in the world, the St. Louis Exposition Organ, now preserved as the nucleus of Philadelphia's Wanamaker Organ.

He taught there up until his death at his home in Meudon, near Paris, in 1911.

Charles M. Courboin

He was recommended for the position by organ virtuoso Alexandre Guilmant who played a recital at the church following his 'famous forty' concerts at the St Louis Exposition organ during the 1904 World's Fair.

Philip Hale

In 1882 Hale abandoned law altogether in favor of music, continuing his studies in Germany with Josef Rheinberger and in Paris with Alexandre Guilmant.


Edwin Arthur Kraft

Kraft was born in New Haven and studied music at Yale University under Horatio Parker before becoming became the organist at St. Thomas's Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. He then went to Europe for three years, studying organ with Grunecke in Berlin and Alexandre Guilmant and Charles-Marie Widor in Paris.

Félix Fourdrain

He then studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Charles-Marie Widor at the Conservatoire de Paris where he was awarded a premiere prix for organ performance in 1900.

Zsolt Gárdonyi

Organ compositions entitled Grand Choeur such as those by César Franck, Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens, Théodore Dubois, Alexandre Guilmant und Eugène Gigout are often conceived as preludes and postludes for worship services and traditionally contain registration directions at the start.


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