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Charles Gounod.
Charles-François Gounod (June 18, 1818 – October 18, 1893) was a French composer, best known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.

Biography

Gounod was born in Paris, the son of a pianist mother and a draftsman father. His mother was his first piano teacher. Under her Gounod first showed his musical talents. He entered the Paris Conservatoire where he studied under Fromental Halévy.

He won the Prix de Rome in 1839 for his cantata Ferdinand.

He subsequently went to Italy where he studied the music of Palestrina. He concentrated on religious music of the sixteenth century.

Gounod eventually returned to Paris and composed the "Messe Solennelle", also known as the "Saint Cecilia Mass". This work was first performed in London during 1851 and began his reputation as a noteworthy composer.

He wrote two symphonies in 1855. His Symphony No.1 in D major was the inspiration for Georges Bizet's (who was then Gounod's 17 year old student) Symphony No. 1 in C, composed later that same year. Despite their charm and brilliance, Gounod's symphonies are seldom performed. One of the few recordings of the symphonies was made by Sir Neville Mariner.

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Caricature from Punch, 1882.
Gounod wrote his first opera, Sappho, in 1851, but had no great success until Faust (1859), based on the play by Goethe. This remains his best-known work. The romantic and highly melodious Roméo et Juliette (based on the Shakespeare play), premiered in 1867, is also performed and recorded regularly. The charming and highly individual Mireille of 1864 is admired by connoisseurs.

There is some controversy surrounding "Faust". Many critics believed it was a far advancement over Gounod's prior works. One critic stated his doubt that Gounod composed it, which prompted Gounod to challenge the critic to a duel. The critic withdrew his statement.

From 1870 to 1875 Gounod lived in England, becoming the first conductor of what is now the Royal Choral Society. Much of Gounod's music from this time is vocal or choral in nature.

He wrote much chamber music, composing four string quartets.

Later in his life, Gounod returned to his early religious impulses, writing much religious music, including a musical setting of Ave Maria based on the first prelude from Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach and Hymnus Pontificius the anthem of Vatican. In fact, he died as he put the finishing touches to a requiem "Le Grand Requiem" inspired by the death of his grandson, a major work which he was never to hear performed.

Gounod died in 1893 in Saint-Cloud, France.

Operas

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Charles Gounod's burial site (Auteuil, Paris, France)

Oratorios

  • Tobie (c. 1866)
  • Gallia (1871)
  • Jésus sur le lac de Tibériade (1878)
  • La rédemption (1882) (commissioned for, and premiered at the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival)
  • Christus factus est (1883)
  • Mors et Vita (1884)
  • ''Requiem" (1893)

Symphonies

  • Symphony No. 1 in D major (1855)
  • Symphony No. 2 in E flat major
  • Symphony No. 3 in B flat major (Little Symphony for Wind Instruments, see below under "Chamber music")

Chamber music

  • String Quartet in A minor (Old No.3)
  • String Quartet No.1 in C minor "Le petit quatuor"
  • String Quartet No.2 in A Major
  • String Quartet No.3 in F Major
  • Petite Symphonie for Winds (Petite Symphonie pour instruments à vent, Symphony No. 3 in B flat major)

Instrumental

Sources

  • Sadie, S. (ed.) (1980) The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, [vol. # 7].

References

1. ^ Richard K. Fitzgerald (July 25, 2006). Gounod’s "Roméo et Juliette" at Wolf Trap.

External links

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Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"


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composer is a person who writes music. The term refers particularly to someone who writes music in some type of musical notation, thus allowing others to perform the music. This distinguishes the composer from a musician who improvises or plays a musical instrument.
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Ave Maria (Latin for Hail, Mary) may refer to:
  • Hail Mary, a traditional Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus
  • 'Ave Maria' or Ellens dritter Gesang

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Opera is a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama.[1] Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition.[2] An opera performance incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and
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Faust is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Goethe's Faust, Part 1.
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Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the play by Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
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Ville de Paris

City flag City coat of arms

Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur
(Latin: "Tossed by the waves, she does not sink")

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro.
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Conservatoire de Paris has been split into two "Conservatoires", one for Acting, Theatre and Drama, the "Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique" (CNSAD) that has inherited the original building where Berlioz played to the Parisian public and the other Conservatoire for
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Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy (May 27, 1799 - March 17, 1862) (usually known as Fromental Halévy) was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.
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Prix de Rome was a scholarship for art students. It was created in 1663 in France under the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual burse for promising artists (painters, sculptors, and architects) who proved their talents by completing a very difficult elimination contest.
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A cantata (Italian, 'sung') is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement.

Historical context

The term did not exist prior to the 16th century, when all "cultured" music was vocal, but with the rise of
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Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)


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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (between 3 February 1525 and 2 February 1526[1] - 2 February, 1594) was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. He was the most famous sixteenth-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition.
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Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. He is best known for his opera Carmen.

Biography

Bizet was born in Paris, France at 28 rue de la Tour d'Auvergne.
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Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is an English conductor and violinist.

Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire.
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Faust is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Goethe's Faust, Part 1.
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Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy is the first part of Goethe's Faust.

Synopsis

Although there is no precise classification in the overall story, the individual scenes may be loosely bound into three parts: The Prologue, Faust's Tragedy and
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Born: July 28 1749(1749--)
Free City of Frankfurt
Died: March 22 1832 (aged 84)
Weimar, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Occupation: Polymath
Nationality: German
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Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the play by Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
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William Shakespeare

The Chandos portrait, artist and authenticity unconfirmed. National Portrait Gallery, London.
Born: April 1564 (exact date unknown)
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Died: 23 March 1616
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
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Romeo and Juliet
Author William Shakespeare
Country  United Kingdom
Language Unstandardised English
Genre(s) Tragedy
Publisher
Publication date

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Mireille is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio. It premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris on March 19, 1864.
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Royal Choral Society is a choral group based in London, England. The society works closely with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Their collaboration works include Handel's Messiah and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 all available through the iTunes music store.
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religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people, often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience.
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The Well-Tempered Clavier (in the original German: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier[2]) is a collection of solo keyboard music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
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