Charles gounod biography

One work has ensured Charles Gounod’s lasting fame: Faust. Gounod’s greatest operatic hit is presented at an average of 22 opera houses worldwide every year. Roméo et Juliette is not far behind it, while the remaining ten of his operas continue to make occasional appearances.

Charles gounod

Another perennial favourite is ‘Ave Maria’, drawn from the opening C major prelude of Bach’s Das Wohltemperierte Klavier. But these works are only a fraction of the French composer’s output. Gounod was one of the giants of French musical life in the second half of the 19th century.

His catalogue includes works in every major genre of the day, especially song, orchestral music and choral music. He was born into an artistic family. His father was a painter and engraver who worked for royalty and died young.

Charles gounod biography

Gounod’s widowed mother supported the family by teaching piano. Gounod inherited the talents of both parents, but music claimed him as a career. At the Paris Conservatoire, he studied with Fromental