This engaging book discusses the colorful personalities and beloved music of the French romantic organist composers Michael Murray draws vivid portraits of Aristide Cavaille Coll 1811 1899 the greatest and most influential organ builder of his time and of seven other musicians with connections to Cavaille Coll and to one another Camille Saint Saens 1835 1921 Cesar Franck 1822 1890 Charles Marie Widor 1844 1937 Louis Vierne 1870 1937 Marcel Dupre 1886 1971 Jean Langlais 1907 1991 and Olivier Messiaen 1908 1992 The book offers to lovers of French music and culture and especially to student organists details of these composers lives and times and of their styles and techniques Drawing on his personal acquaintance with Messiaen Langlais Dupre and other famous contemporaries and on period documents original accounts early recordings and other primary sources Murray examines the relationship between organ building and musical composition the nature of romanticism and classicism and the ever perplexing question of composer versus interpreter