Marcel Dupré was born to a musical family in Rouen (Normandy, France). His father Albert Dupré was organist at the gothic abbey of St Ouen in Rouen. The young Marcel was a child prodigy. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1904, where he studied the piano and organ. He studied organ with Alexandre Guilmant and Louis Vierne, and Charles-Marie Widor. His studies with Widor also included composition. In 1914, Dupré won the Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata, "Psyché". Twelve years later, he became professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire, serving until 1954.