Walter Kraft, born on June 9, 1905, in Cologne, Germany, was an organist and composer. He studied piano and organ under Hanneman in Hamburg and composition under Paul Hindemith in Berlin. His first professional role as an organist began at Hamburg's Markuskirche in 1924. In 1929, Kraft was appointed to a life tenure as the organist at Lübeck's Marienkirche, where he revived Abendmusik concerts of sacred works and founded a boys' choir for Bach’s Passions. He also established the Lübeck Church Orchestra for the Cultivation of Original Instruments in 1939. Kraft made numerous recordings during the LP era, including Handel's 12 organ concertos and the complete solo organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Dietrich Buxtehude. Notable compositions include Ostsee-Kantate Baltic Cantata (1931), and Te deum for two organs (1943). Kraft died in the Hotel Polen fire in Amsterdam on May 9, 1977.
