organist and composer, one of the principal German composers for organ of his generation.

Karg-Elert studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, and in 1919 he became a member of the staff there. His early works reflect the influence of composers such as Claude Debussy (Debussy, Claude), Aleksandr Scriabin (Scriabin, Aleksandr), and Arnold Schoenberg (Schoenberg, Arnold), but he later developed an original style that melded chromaticism and expanded harmonies with Renaissance and Baroque polyphony. Among his best-known works are the 33 stylistic studies for harmonium, based on works of composers ranging from Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina to Schoenberg; for the organ he wrote the Sixty-Six Chorale Improvisations (1908–10) and 20 Chorale Preludes and Postludes (1912). A virtuoso organist, Karg-Elert also performed on the Kunstharmonium (a type of harmonium—larger than the standard size—that was popular in Germany in the early 20th century).