The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.

He also studied piano at that time with Marie Jaëll. Schweitzer also studied piano under Isidor Philipp head of the piano department at the Paris Conservatory. Schweitzer's interpretative approach greatly influenced the modern understanding of Bach's music.

Schweitzer a Lutheran challenged both the secular view of Jesus as depicted by historical-critical methodology current at his time in certain academic circles as well as the traditional Christian view. As a music scholar and organist he studied the music of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach and influenced the Organ reform movement (Orgelbewegung). He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine at that time part of the German Empire.