Charles Gounod (1818-1893) was a French composer, best known for his Ave Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Gounod (1818-1893) was a French composer, best known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.
Gounod wrote his first opera, Sapho, in 1851, with the help of Pauline Viardot, but had no great theatrical success until Faust (1859), based on the play by Goethe. This remains his best-known work, and although it took a while to achieve great renown, it eventually became one of the most frequently staged operas of all time. The romantic and highly melodious Roméo et Juliette (based on the Shakespeare play), premiered in 1867, is also performed and recorded now and then, even though it has never come close to matching Faust's popularity. Mireille of 1864, a charming and graceful composition, has been admired by connoisseurs rather than by the general public.
Later in his life, Gounod returned to his early religious impulses, writing much religious music. His earlier work included an improvisation of a melody over the C major Prelude (BWV 846) from The Well-Tempered Clavier, to which in 1859 Gounod set the words of Ave Maria, resulting in his composition Ave Maria, a setting that became world-famous. He also wrote a Pontifical Anthem, now the official national anthem of the Vatican City.
In 1893, apparently shortly after he had put the finishing touches to a requiem written for his grandson, he died in Saint-Cloud, France.
One of his short pieces, Funeral March of a Marionette, became well known as the theme to Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Gounod wrote his first opera, Sapho, in 1851, with the help of Pauline Viardot, but had no great theatrical success until Faust (1859), based on the play by Goethe. This remains his best-known work, and although it took a while to achieve great renown, it eventually became one of the most frequently staged operas of all time. The romantic and highly melodious Roméo et Juliette (based on the Shakespeare play), premiered in 1867, is also performed and recorded now and then, even though it has never come close to matching Faust's popularity. Mireille of 1864, a charming and graceful composition, has been admired by connoisseurs rather than by the general public.
Later in his life, Gounod returned to his early religious impulses, writing much religious music. His earlier work included an improvisation of a melody over the C major Prelude (BWV 846) from The Well-Tempered Clavier, to which in 1859 Gounod set the words of Ave Maria, resulting in his composition Ave Maria, a setting that became world-famous. He also wrote a Pontifical Anthem, now the official national anthem of the Vatican City.
In 1893, apparently shortly after he had put the finishing touches to a requiem written for his grandson, he died in Saint-Cloud, France.
One of his short pieces, Funeral March of a Marionette, became well known as the theme to Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
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08Faust: Act I Scene 2: Avant de quitter ces lieux (Valentin, Wagner, Chorus, Mephistopheles)5:04Cesare Siepi
10Faust: Act I Scene 2: Merci de ta chanson! (Chorus, Valentin, Wagner, Mephistopheles, Siebel)4:56Cesare Siepi
12Faust: Act I Scene 2: Ainsi que la brise legere (Chorus, Mephistopheles, Faust, Siebel)2:47Cesare Siepi
13Faust: Act I Scene 2: Ne permettrez-vous pas (Faust, Marguerite, Siebel, Mephistopheles, Chorus)3:38Cesare Siepi
17Faust: Act II: Que trouble inconnu me penetre!... Salut! demeure chaste et pure (Faust, Mephistopheles, Siebel)8:03Cesare Siepi
21Faust: Act II: Seigneur Dieu, que vois-je? (Marthe, Marguerite, Mephistopheles, Faust)5:20Cesare Siepi
22Faust: Act II: Et quoi! toujours seule? (Faust, Marguerite, Mephistopheles, Marthe)4:12Cesare Siepi
27Faust: Act III Scene 1: Seigneur, daignez permettre (Marguerite, Mephistopheles, Chorus)10:35Cesare Siepi
29Faust: Act III Scene 2: Allons, Siebel! entrons dans la maison! (Valentin, Siebel)1:56Cesare Siepi
31Faust: Act III Scene 2: Que voulez-vous, messieurs? (Valentin, Mephistopheles, Faust)4:03Cesare Siepi
32Faust: Act III Scene 2: Par ici, par ici, mes amis!... Ecoute-moi bien, Marguerite! (Marthe, Chorus, Valentin, Marguerite, Siebel)7:37Cesare Siepi
35Faust: Act IV Scene 1: Jusqu'aux premiers feux du matin (Mephistopheles, Chorus, Faust)4:09Cesare Siepi
43Faust: Act IV Scene 2: Alerte! Alerte! Ou vous etes perdus! (Mephistopheles, Marguerite, Faust)2:25Cesare Siepi
525 Songs, Op. 37 (version for voice and piano): Var det en drom? (Was it a Dream?), Op. 37, No. 42:31Jussi Björling
536 Songs, Op. 36 (version for voice and piano): Svarta rosor (Black Roses), Op. 36, No. 12:18Jussi Björling
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GOUNOD: Faust (Bjorling, Siepi, Kirsten) (1950)
Cesare Siepi Lyrics
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