Charles Gounod

Charles-François Gounod was a French composer renowned for twelve operas, including the immensely popular 'Faust' (1859) and 'Roméo et Juliette' (1867), which remain in the international repertory. His compositions spanned church music, songs, and instrumental pieces like 'Ave Maria' (an elaboration of a Bach work) and 'Funeral March of a Marionette'. Born into an artistic family in Paris, Gounod was a Conservatoire de Paris student and Prix de Rome laureate. Post studies in Italy, Austria, and Prussia, he considered priesthood, influenced by deep religiosity. Gounod's later years saw a withdrawal from the French musical vanguard, following the Franco-Prussian War and a three-year isolation in London. He died in Saint-Cloud at 75, leaving a legacy that influenced future French composers such as Massenet and Fauré.