As an organist, I cannot remember a time when I did not know the name Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), but little did I know what lay beyond that name and his ubiquitous organ Toccata—a work so famous that it virtually is the music of the organ to many who may not even know the composer's name. I have always loved playing Widor's organ music; I think of it not so much as music for the organ as music of the organ. It rises organically from the instrument as if born of a loving parent. For Widor, the soaring tone of the organ was a “sound singing eternity to the stars.” He once told his pupil Albert Schweitzer, “Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with a vision of eternity.” When asked why I have spent a substantial portion of my professional career studying and writing about Widor, for me the reason is obvious: “Why wouldn't I want to explore more fully a composer with such a lofty notion of our chosen instrument?”

Born during the reign of Louis-Philippe (r. 1830–48), Widor endured more transitions in French government, wars, crises, and changes in the social fabric than perhaps any other musician. In my biography—Widor: A Life beyond the Toccata—I wanted as much as possible to let him tell his own story, either through his prolific writings or the recollections of friends, students, admirers, and sometimes detractors. His descriptions of backdoor intrigues in Paris Conservatory politics, bureaucratic infightings, professional jealousies, and survival during the Franco-Prussian and First World Wars propelled his life's story with historical relevance, passion, insight, and sometimes wit. Critical reviews were drawn upon liberally, as they were an invaluable resource for piecing together the composite picture of Widor's lengthy professional career and the critical reception of his works.

It is astounding to discover a musician of such amazingly diverse accomplishments: organist, composer, Paris Conservatory professor of organ and later professor of composition, member of the Institute of France and permanent secretary of its Academy of Fine Arts, leader in the French Bach revival, cofounder and first director of the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, journalist, conductor, music editor, scholar, correspondent, inspired visionary, and man of deep culture. Widor was well connected in social and professional circles; he seems to have known nearly everyone who counted.