• Name: Charles Gounod
• Birthday: 06/17/1818
• Birth Place: Paris, France
• Died: 10/17/1893
• Place of Death: Saint-Cloud, France
• Period: Romantic
• Genre: Classical

Title	Release
(1313) Faust, opera
(64) Funeral March of a Marionette, for piano or orchestra in D minor	1963
(3) Biondina, song cycle for voice & piano	1993
(8) Marche-Fanfare for 12th Hussars, for brass band (or piano, 4 hands) in E flat major ("La Ronde")	1996
(2) A la brise (Aura gentil che mormori), song for voice & piano
A Lay of the Early Spring, song for voice & piano	1993
(2) A toi mon coeur, song for voice & piano	1976
A une jeune grecque, song for voice & piano
(3) Absence, song for voice & piano	1999
(3) Aimons-nous, song for voice & piano
(2) An Evening Service, for chorus & organ W	1996
(14) Au printemps, song for voice & piano
(16) Au rossignol, song for voice & piano	1981
(3) Aubade, song for voice & piano (Six Songs No. 3)
(460) Ave Maria, for voice & piano (after Bach's Prelude No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1)
Ave verum, for chorus & orchestra or organ in E flat major (Motets solennels No. 2)	2005
(6) Barcarola for soprano, baritone & piano
Berceuse, for violin & piano (arranged from "Peacefully Slumber")
Beware: I know a maiden, song for voice & piano	1993
(3) Boire à l'ombre, song for voice & piano
Boléro, song for voice & piano	1993
By Babylon's Wave, for men's chorus	2004
(9) Ce que je suis sans toi, song for voice & piano	2006
(2) Chanson d'avril: sérénade de passant, for voice & piano	2000
(17) Chanson du printemps, for voice & piano	1976
Chants sacrés, 60 part songs for voices & organ in 3 volumes	2005
(10) Cinq Mars, opera
Communion for organ	1985
Compliment, song for voice & piano
(2) Concertino for flute & chamber orchestra (edited from incomplete manuscript by D. Sackmann)	2002
(2) Crépuscule, song for voice & piano	2000
D'un coeur qui t'aime, for double chorus (also with piano or organ)	2005
(4) D'un coeur qui t'aime, for soprano, alto & piano	1993
(2) Dans cette étable, for chorus & orchestra (Grands choeurs No. 2)	2004
(2) Déesse ou femme, song for voice & piano	2006
(3) Départ, song for voice & piano
Donne-moi cette fleur, song for voice & piano	2002
(2) Entreat me not to leave thee, song for voice & piano or organ ("Ruth's Song")	1997
(6) Envoi de fleurs, song for voice & piano	1981
(4) Fantasy on the Russian National Anthem for pedal piano & orchestra	1996
(3) Gallia: Lamentation, motet for soprano, chorus, orchestra & organ	1993
Heureux sera le jour, song for voice & piano
(3) Hymne à Sainte-Cécile for violin, harps, timpani, winds & double bass or for violin, organ & piano (also published as "Ave Verum")
If thou art sleeping, song for voice & piano	1993
Ilala: stances à la mémoire de Livingston, song for voice & piano or orchestra	1993
Je ne puis espérer, song for voice & piano	2000
Jeanne d'Arc et les voix du ciel, song for 2 voices & piano	1993
(9) Jésus de Nazareth, for baritone & piano with organ ad lib. or baritone, chorus & orchestra ("Nazareth")	1905
(14) L'absent, song for voice & piano	1999
L'âme de la morte, song for voice & piano

Charles Gounod is best known for his operas Faust and Romeo et Juliette and for his Ave Maria (1859). Except for concertos, he composed music in the major genres, but with varying success in the instrumental realm. Gounod was more at home in the vocal arena, particularly in opera and sacred music . Though his reputation began to fade even before he died, he is still generally regarded as a major figure in nineteenth century French music. Stylistically, he was a conservative whose influence nevertheless extended to Bizet, Saint-Saëns, and Massenet. He could not be called a trailblazer or the founder of any movement or school. His works are tuneful, his vocal writing imaginative, and orchestral scoring masterly. Gounod's compositions, even his two symphonies and lesser known operas, are occasionally explored today, and the aforementioned Faust and Romeo et Juliette and Ave Maria are widely performed and recorded.

Gounod was born on June 17, 1818. His mother was a pianist who served as the young boy's first teacher. While still in his youth she arranged for him to receive composition lessons from Anton Reicha. After Reicha's death, Gounod began studies at the Paris Conservatory, where he won a Grand Prix in 1839 for his Cantata Fernand.

After further composition studies in Rome, where he focused on sixteenth century church music, particularly the works of Palestrina, he became deeply interested in religion and by 1845 was contemplating the priesthood. Though he would eventually reject the idea and marry, he remained religious throughout his life and wrote many sacred works, including masses, the most popular being the 1855 St. Cecilia Mass. In that year Gounod also turned out two symphonies, which achieved attention but not lasting success. It was the 1859 opera Faust, however, that, after a slow start, became Gounod's calling card. Mireille (1864) and especially Romeo et Juliette (1867) added to his reputation, not only in France but throughout Europe.

From 1870-1875 Gounod lived in England owing to the exigencies of the Franco-Prussian War. In his years there and in the period following his return to France, Gounod wrote much music, especially religious music, but never again attained the kind of success he experienced in the 1850s and '60s. Among his more compelling and imaginative late works is the 1885 Petite Symphonie, (scored for nine instruments). Gounod died in St. Cloud on October 18, 1893. ~ Robert Cummings, All Music Guide