Influenced by César Franck and Widor, Louis Vierne belongs to the French tradition of organists, succeeding the latter at the conservatoire and later becoming organist at Notre Dame. He is an important figure among French organ composers.

Louis Vierne was born in 1870 nearly blind, though surgery at the age of six gave him the ability to recognise shapes and people, and to read large print. His exceptional gift for music was clear from his earliest years and was carefully nurtured, first at the musically renowned Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (a lycée for blind students) and later at the Paris Conservatoire where, under the tuition of César Franck, Vierne won First Prize in the organ class of 1894. For almost 20 years he assisted...