Olivier Alain

Olivier Georges Alain (3 August 1918 – 28 February 1994) was a French organist, pianist, musicologist and composer.

Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, into a musical family.

From 1960-1974, he served as director of the École César Franck in Paris, and in 1976 founded the Conservatoire National de Région in Paris, whose director he was until 1985, and where he taught classes in musical analysis and chamber music.

His comprehensive chronology and analysis of the life and complete works of J. S. Bach is still unpublished.

His discovery of the 14 Canons on the first 8 fundamental notes of the aria from the Goldberg Variations (BWV 1087) in Strasbourg in 1974 is often regarded as one of the greatest Bach-source finds of the 20th century.