Charles Gounod

[[Missions étrangères de Paris Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his "Ave Maria" (an elaboration of a Bach piece) and "Funeral March of a Marionette".

Born in Paris into an artistic and musical family, Gounod was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France's most prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. His studies took him to Italy, Austria and then Prussia, where he met Felix Mendelssohn, whose advocacy of the music of Bach was an early influence on him. He was deeply religious, and after his return to Paris, he briefly considered becoming a priest. He composed prolifically, writing church music, songs, orchestral music and operas.

Gounod's career was disrupted by the Franco-Prussian War. He moved to England with his family for refuge from the Prussian advance on Paris in 1870. After peace was restored in 1871 his family returned to Paris but he remained in London, living in the house of an amateur singer, Georgina Weldon, who became the controlling figure in his life. After nearly three years he broke away from her and returned to his family in France. His absence, and the appearance of younger French composers, meant that he was no longer at the forefront of French musical life; although he remained a respected figure he was regarded as old-fashioned during his later years, and operatic success eluded him. He died at his house in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, at the age of 75.

Few of Gounod's works remain in the regular international repertoire, but his influence on later French composers was considerable. In his music there is a strand of romantic sentiment that is continued in the operas of Jules Massenet and others; there is also a strand of classical restraint and elegance that influenced Gabriel Fauré. Claude Debussy wrote that Gounod represented the essential French sensibility of his time. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 23 for search 'Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893', query time: 0.03s Refine Results
  1. 1
    by Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893
    Published 1997
    Other Authors: “…Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893…”
    CD Audio
  2. 2
    by Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893
    Published 1987
    CD Audio
  3. 3
    by Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893
    Published 1991
    CD Audio
  4. 4
    by Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893
    Published 1994
    CD Audio
  5. 5
    by Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893
    Published 1986
    CD Audio
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    Musical Score Book
  7. 7
    by Gounod, Charles 1818-1893
    Published 1890
    Book
  8. 8
    by Delibes, Léo, 1836-1891
    Published 1993
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  9. 9
    by Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828
    Published 1992
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    Musical Score Book
  10. 10
    by Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849
    Published 1980
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    CD Audio
  11. 11
    Published 1992
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  12. 12
    Published 1991
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  13. 13
    Published 1988
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  14. 14
    by Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886
    Published 1993
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  15. 15
    Published 1983
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    Video VHS
  16. 16
    Published 1989
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  17. 17
    Published 1982
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  18. 18
    Published 1991
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  19. 19
    Published 1993
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  20. 20
    Published 1992
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    CD Audio
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