Biography
Jean-Jacques Grunenwald (also credited as Jean-Jacques Grünenwald, J.J. Grunenwald and under the pseudonym Jean Dalve) was a French composer, organist, architect and pedagogue. Born on 2 February 1911 in Cran-Gevrier near Annecy, he studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he won first prizes in organ and improvisation under Marcel Dupré and in composition under Henri Büsser. He also trained in architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts and received the second grand prix de Rome in 1939.
Grunenwald held major organ posts in Paris, succeeding Dupré as titular organist at Saint-Sulpice from 1971 until his death. He taught organ and improvisation at the Geneva Conservatory and the Schola Cantorum. He performed more than 1,500 recitals internationally and composed organ, orchestral and vocal works alongside his film scores.
He composed music for numerous French films, including Les Anges du péché (1943), Les Dames du bois de Boulogne (1945), Monsieur Vincent (1947), Antoine et Antoinette (1947) and Diary of a Country Priest (1951). Grunenwald died in Paris on 19 December 1982.
