Alain

Alain may refer to:

Marie-Claire Alain

Marie-Claire Alain (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career.

Background and education

Marie-Claire Alain 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). She began assisting her father when he played organ in the parish church at the age of 11. She studied at the Paris Conservatory in the organ class of Marcel Dupré, where she was awarded four first prizes. She also studied harmony there with Maurice Duruflé.

Career

She won the 2nd prize for organ at the Geneva International Music Competition in 1950.

She taught at the conservatory of Rueil-Malmaison and the Paris Conservatory. Her pupils included Cherry Rhodes, James M. Higdon, Jr, George C. Baker, Robert Bates, Diane Bish, Guy Bovet, James David Christie, Jesse Eschbach, Monique Gendron, Gerre Hancock, Marcus Huxley, Gunnar Idenstam,Wolfgang Karius, Jon Laukvik, Lyn Hubler Loewi, Michael Matthes, Margaret Phillips, Daniel Roth, Claire Rozier, Wolfgang Rübsam, Helga Schauerte,Dong-ill Shin, Martin Souter, Norma Stevlingson, Martin Strohhäcker,Thomas Trotter, Kenneth Weir, Fritz Werner and the Hungarian Endre Kovács and Zsuzsa Elekes. Upon her death, the list of her students was described as a "who's who of the present-day organ world".

Jehan Alain

Jehan Ariste Alain (3 February 1911 – 20 June 1940) was a French organist and composer.

Biography

Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the western suburbs of Paris, into a family of musicians. His father, Albert Alain (1880–1971) was an organist, composer and organ builder who had studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Louis Vierne. His younger brother was the composer, organist and pianist Olivier Alain (1918–1994), his youngest sister the organist Marie-Claire Alain (1926–2013). Jehan received his initial training in the piano from Augustin Pierson, the organist of Saint-Louis at Versailles, and in the organ from his father, who had built a four-manual instrument in the family sitting room. By the age of 11, Jehan was substituting at St. Germain-en-Laye.

Between 1927 and 1939, he attended the Paris Conservatoire and achieved First Prize in Harmony under André Bloch and First Prize in Fugue with Georges Caussade. He studied the organ with Marcel Dupré, under whose direction he took first prize for Organ and Improvisation in 1939. His studies in composition with Paul Dukas and Jean Roger-Ducasse won him the Prix des amis de l'orgue in 1936 for his Suite for Organ Op. 48, Introduction, Variations, Scherzo and Choral.

List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

There are over 1000 known compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. Nearly all of them are listed in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV), which is the best known and most widely used catalogue of Bach's compositions.

Listing Bach's compositions

The earliest lists of Bach's compositions are given by his biographers, starting from his obituary which gives a list of instrumental works printed during the composer's lifetime (from Clavier-Übung I to The Art of Fugue), followed by a list which groups other types of compositions he wrote. The first separately published biography of the composer, by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, follows the same setup: its ninth chapter first lists printed works (adding four-part chorales that were published in the second half of the 18th century), followed by a rough overview of the unpublished ones. In the first half of the 19th century more works were published, so the next biographies (Schauer and Hilgenfeldt in 1850) had more elaborate appendices listing printed works, referring to these works by publisher, and the number or page number given to the works in these publications. So, for example, the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major can be indicated as "C. F. Peters Vol. III No. 1", or any of the variants ("Griepenkerl and Roitzsch Vol. 3 p. 2", "Peters Book 242 p. 2", "P. S. V., Cah. 3 (242), No. 1", etc.)

Sebastian Bach

Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987-96. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted in Broadway plays, and leads a solo career.

Career

Kid Wikkid (1983–1985)

The members of Kid Wikkid were stationed in Peterborough. Upon hearing of the band and unaware of their ages, 14-year-old Bach auditioned for the group, and was successfully hired by guitar player and band leader, Jason Delorme. Kid Wikkid moved back to Toronto, and Bach's dad eventually allowed Bach to move in with an aunt.

Skid Row (1987–1996)

Skid Row initially formed in the mid 1980s with lead singer Matt Fallon. They began playing at various New Jersey clubs. Fallon would soon leave the band in 1987, leaving Skid Row without a singer. Bach was spotted singing at rock photographer Mark Weiss's wedding at the age of 18, and the members asked him to join in early 1987.