Charles Gounod
A French composer who turned Goethe's epic Faust into a blockbuster opera, defining grand opera for a generation with his gift for soaring melody.
1818–1893 (age 75)·French composer·Birthday: June 17
Biography
Charles Gounod began with a soul divided between the church and the stage. Trained at the Paris Conservatoire and initially drawn to the priesthood, he found his true calling in the theater, where he could fuse sacred musical grandeur with secular drama. His 1859 opera 'Faust' was not an immediate success, but its potent mix of philosophical weight, irresistible waltzes, and the jewel-like 'Jewel Song' eventually made it a global phenomenon, dominating the Paris Opéra's repertoire for decades. With 'Roméo et Juliette', he proved his mastery of lyrical, tender passion. Even outside the opera house, his music permeated culture; his 'Ave Maria', a meditation over Bach's Prelude, became a wedding staple, and the mischievous 'Funeral March of a Marionette' found unlikely immortality as the theme for Alfred Hitchcock's television series. Gounod's work is a testament to the power of accessible, emotionally direct melody.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1818
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1818Born
1823Started school
1831Became a teenager
1834Could drive
1836Could vote
1839Turned 21
1848Turned 30
1858Turned 40
1868Turned 50
President: Andrew Johnson
1878Turned 60
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1888Turned 70
President: Grover Cleveland
1893Died at 75
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Composed 'Faust', one of the most popular and frequently performed operas of the 19th century.
- Wrote the enduring sacred piece 'Ave Maria', a melody superimposed over J.S. Bach's Prelude in C major.
- Created the successful opera 'Roméo et Juliette', which remains a cornerstone of the French operatic repertoire.
- Composed the 'Funeral March of a Marionette', which gained worldwide recognition as the theme music for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'.
Did You Know?
He was the first winner of the prestigious Prix de Rome composition prize in 1839.
Gounod's opera 'Faust' was the first work ever performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1883.
He was a close friend of Charles Dickens during the novelist's time in Paris.
Later in life, he returned to religious music almost exclusively, composing numerous masses and oratorios.
““The artist has a duty to be kind; his life is already hard enough without his adding to its difficulties by his own fault.””
