Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély was born on November 13, 1817 in Paris, France. He began his musical training under his father Isaac-François-Antoine Lefebvre, performing a Mass at Saint-Roch Church by age eight. In 1832, he entered the Paris Conservatoire and won first prize for organ in 1835. Lefébure-Wély collaborated with organ-builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll from 1838, performing on new instruments at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette and Saint-Roch. He moved to the Église de la Madeleine in 1847 and was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1850. His compositions included works for various ensembles and an opéra comique, Les recruteurs, which premiered in 1861. From 1863 until his death on December 31, 1869, he served as the titular organist at Saint-Sulpice.
