Jean-Jacques Grunenwald: in the shadow of La Jeune France, part 1

During the interwar period, a group of young French organists, all still in training, emerged as promising composers. We know the names Maurice Duruflé, Olivier Messiaen, Jean Langlais, Gaston Litaize, and Jehan Alain well. Fellow musicians such as Daniel Jean-Yves Lesur, André Fleury, and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald were equally highly regarded in those years but have since faded somewhat into the background.

Grunenwald served as substitute organist from 1936 to 1946 and, from 1973, as Marcel Dupré’s successor and titular organist at Saint-Sulpice. He excelled particularly as an improviser. Although Grunenwald was not part of La Jeune France, his works show remarkable similarities with those of this group of composers, who aimed to express spirituality and mysticism in a contemporary way through their music.

French organist Jean-Luc Etienne recorded a CD of Grunenwald’s works in 2012 at the Parisian Sainte-Trinité, and for several years, other compositions—not only organ music—and liturgical improvisations at Saint-Sulpice have been available on YouTube. This article aims to bring attention to this somewhat forgotten organist-composer, focusing first on his life and work.