Gabriel Faure was born in Pamiers, France in 1845. Between the ages of 9 and 20 he studied at the Ecole Niedermeyer in Paris, a school which prepared church organists and choir directors. His teachers included Gustave Lefevre and Camille Saint-Saens. After a year in the army, Faure was appointed assistant organist at Saint-Sulpice. He went on to become organist and choirmaster of the Eglise de la Madeleine following Saint-Saens