Walter Kraft (Cologne, 9 June 1905 - Amsterdam, 9 May 1977) was a German organist and composer, best known for his remarkably long tenure (almost half a century, 1926-1972) at the Marienkirche, Lübeck. During this tenure, Kraft, who had been a student of Paul Hindemith in Berlin, revived the practice of evening concerts of sacred works. Such concerts, collectively called Abendmusik, had been regularly given by his predecessors at the church, notably Dietrich Buxtehude and Franz Tunder; but they had ceased in 1810, mainly due to the dislocation caused to northern Germany by the Napoleonic wars. Kraft made numerous records, usually for American labels, during the LP era ? some of these have now re-emerged on CD ? and as well as recording Handel's 12 organ concertos, he was the first person to commit to disc the entire solo organ output (or what was thought to be at the time the entire solo organ output) of Bach and Buxtehude. His discograph

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