Jean-Jacques Grünenwald (Organ, Composer)

Born: February 2, 1911 - Cran-Gevrier, Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France
Died: December 19, 1982 - Paris, France

The French organist, composer, architect, and pedagogue, Jean-Jacques Grünenwald [Grunenwald], studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he received first prizes in organ (1935, class of Marcel Dupré) and composition (1937, class of Henri Busser). In 1935, he played the first performance of Olivier Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur at La Trinité in Paris (together with Daniel Lesur and Jean Langlais). In 1939, he won the prestigious Second Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata, La farce du Mari fondu. Additionally to his musical education, Grunenwald was enrolled at the École National des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he graduated in 1941 with a diploma in architecture.

In 1955, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald became titular organist at St. Pierre-de-Montrouge in Paris, a post he held until 1972. In 1957, he began a recording of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach on 24 LP’s (a world premiere), which he completed in 1962. This recording was made at Soissons Cathedral with its Gonzales organ. He also made world premiere recordings of the complete organ works of César Franck, and Nicolas de Grigny. From 1957 to 1961, he was professor of organ at the Schola Cantorum in Paris; from 1961 to 1966 organ teacher at the Geneva Conservatory. Among his students were Jean-Pierre Decavèle, Raffi Ourgandijan, and Louis Robilliard.

In January 1973, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald succeeded his former teacher, Marcel Dupré, as titular organist at St. Sulpice in Paris (a post he shared with Jeanne Demessieux). He established the weekly "Auditions" at St. Sulpice. During his tenure at St. Sulpice, he never practiced on the great Cavaillé-Coll organ, but did all preparations on his large Gonzales house organ. He played all of his "Auditions" and concerts at St. Sulpice generally from memory. He held this post until his death in 1982 at age 71. As an internationally acknowledged concert organist, he played more than 1,500 recitals worldwide.

His catalog of compositions contains numerous organ and piano works, chamber music, orchestral works, oratorios. Between 1943-1963, he also wrote the music for 23 French film productions, such as Monsieur Vincent (1947).

Compositions

Organ Solo:
Première Suite (1937)
Deuxième Suite (1938)
Berceuse (1939)
Quatre Élevations (1939)
Hymne aux Mémoires héroïques (1939)
Hymne à la Splendeur des Clartés (1940)
Variations brèves sur un Noël du XVIe Siècle Je me suis levé (1949)
Cinq Pièces pour l'Office Divin (1952)
Fugue sur les jeux d'anches (1954)
Diptyque liturgique (1956)
Hommage à Josquin des Près (1956)
Introduction et aria (1956)
Messe du Très Saint Sacrement (1960)
Adoratio (1964)
Sonate (1964)|
Pièce en Mosaïque (Contrastes) (1966)
Pastorale mystique (1968)
Oppositions (1976)
Postlude alleluiatique (1977)

Piano Solo:
Prélude (1936)
La melodie intérieure (1944)
Fantasmagorie (Scherzo) (1946)
Cahier pour Gérard: cinq pièces (1948)
Capriccio pour piano... (1958)
Partita (1971)

Piano and Orchestra:
Concerto (1940)
Concert d'été for piano and string orchestra (1944)

Orchestra:
Fêtes de la lumière (1937)
Ouverture pour un drame sacré (1954)

Miscellaneous Works:
Suite de danses for harpsichord or piano (1948)
Fantaisie-arabesque for harpsichord (or piano), oboe, clarinet in A and bassoon(1950)
Sardanapale: drame lyrique en trois actes (1950)
Variations sur un thème de Machaut for harpsichord (1957)
Henry Barraud (1900-1997): Te Deum for orchestra, transcription for choirs and organ by Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (1957)
Psaume CXXIX (De profundis) for mixted choir and orchestra (1961)
Tu es Petrus for choir and two organs (1965)
Fantaisie en dialogue for organ and orchestra (1965)
Sonate de concert for trumpet and string orchestra or trumpet and organ (1967)

Film Music:
Les Anges du Péché (1943, directed by Robert Bresson)
Falbalas (1945, directed by Jacques Becker)
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945, directed by Robert Bresson)
Dernier refuge (1947, directed by Marc Maurette)
Antoine et Antoinette (1947, directed by Jacques Becker)
Monsieur Vincent (1947, directed by Maurice Cloche)
Docteur Laennec (1949, directed by Maurice Cloche)
La Route inconnue (1949, directed by Léon Poirier)
Le Journal d'un curé de campagne (1951, directed by Robert Bresson)
Édouard et Caroline (1951, directed by Jacques Becker)
La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (1952, directed by Henri Decoin)
La Demoiselle et son revenant (1952, directed by Marc Allégret)
Mina de Vanghel (1953, directed by Maurice Barry and Maurice Clavel)
L'Étrange désir de Monsieur Bard (1953, directed by Géza von Radványi)
Les Amants de Tolède (1953, directed by Henri Decoin and Fernando Palacios)
Le Rideau cramoisi (1953, directed by Alexandre Astruc)
Navigation marchande atlantique (1954, directed by Georges Franju)
Le Chevalier de la nuit (1954, directed by Robert Darène)
Le Défroqué (1954, directed by Léo Joannon)
L'Homme aux clefs d'or (1956, directed by Léo Joannon)
S.O.S. Noronha (1957, directed by Georges Rouquier)
Les Aventures d'Arsène Lupin (1957, directed by Jacques Becker)
À cause, à cause d'une femme (1963, directed by Michel Deville)

Source: Wikipedia Website (December 2009); Jean-Jacques Grunenwald Appreciation Group on Facebook
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2010)

Jean-Jacques Grünenwald: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works

Links to other Sites

Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (Wikipedia)
Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (1911-1982) (Musica et Memoria) [French]
Jean-Jacques Grunenwald Appreciation Group on Facebook

Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (IMDB)
Grünenwald Jean-Jacques (1911-1982) (Encyclopédie Universalis) [French]

Bibliography

"Jean-Jacques Grunenwald: organiste, compositeur, architecte." In: L'Orgue: Cahiers et memoirs No. 36 (1986). Paris, France: Association des Amis de l'Orgue, 1986.
Xavier Darasse: "Jean-Jacques Grunenwald", in Guide de la musique d’orgue, edited by Gilles Cantagrel (Paris, France: Fayard, 1991), pp. 417-419.
A. Machabey: Portraits de trente musiciens français (Paris, 1949). Pp. 93–96.
Gérard Serret (ed.). Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (Paris, France: G. Serret, 1984)