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Charles Gounod

Charles-François Gounod (; French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859); his Roméo et Juliette (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his Ave Maria (an elaboration of a Bach piece) and "Funeral March of a Marionette".

Born in Paris into an artistic and musical family Gounod was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris and won France's most prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. His studies took him to Italy, Austria and then Prussia, where he met Felix Mendelssohn, whose advocacy of the music of Bach was an early influence on him. He was deeply religious, and after his return to Paris, he briefly considered becoming a priest. He composed prolifically, writing church music, songs, orchestral music and operas.

Gounod's career was disrupted by the Franco-Prussian War. He moved to England with his family for refuge from the Prussian advance on Paris in 1870. After peace was restored in 1871 his family returned to Paris but he remained in London, living in the house of an amateur singer, Georgina Weldon, who became the controlling figure in his life. After nearly three years he broke away from her and returned to his family in France. His absence, and the appearance of younger French composers, meant that he was no longer at the forefront of French musical life; although he remained a respected figure he was regarded as old-fashioned during his later years, and operatic success eluded him. He died at his house in Saint-Cloud, near Paris at the age of 75.

Few of Gounod's works remain in the regular international repertoire, but his influence on later French composers was considerable. In his music there is a strand of romantic sentiment that is continued in the operas of Jules Massenet and others; there is also a strand of classical restraint and elegance that influenced Gabriel Fauré. Claude Debussy wrote that Gounod represented the essential French sensibility of his time.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 17, 1818 (Paris), Died October 18, 1893 (Saint-Cloud)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1896 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 151-175 of 1110 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor C-6013 12-in. 3/5/1908 Ma Lisette Emma Calvé Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6018 12-in. 3/6/1908 Ma Lisette : 18th century Emma Calvé Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-6041 12-in. 3/20/1908 O ma lyre immortelle Emma Calvé Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6125 12-in. 4/21/1908 Salve dimora Florencio Constantino Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6135 12-in. 4/22/1908 Ange adorable Florencio Constantino ; Alice Nielsen ; Victor Orchestra Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6136 10-in. 4/22/1908 Ah! Ne fuis pas encore Florencio Constantino ; Alice Nielsen Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6146 10-in. 4/23/1908 Le roi de Thulé Alice Nielsen Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6238 12-in. 5/27/1908 Mireille : Waltz Bessie Abott ; Victor Orchestra Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6445 12-in. 9/22/1908 Mirella overture Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-6534 10-in. 10/12/1908 Serenade de Mephistopheles Alan Turner Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6633 12-in. 12/2/1908 Sing, smile, slumber serenade Elise Stevenson Soprano vocal solo, with flute and orchestra composer  
Victor C-6657 12-in. 12/9/1908 Air des bijoux Geraldine Farrar Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6679 12-in. 12/19/1908 Alerte! Alerte! Enrico Caruso ; Geraldine Farrar ; Félix Vieuille Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and bass), with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6681 12-in. 12/19/1908 Que voulez-vous, Messieurs? Enrico Caruso ; Emilio de Gogorza ; Félix Vieuille Vocal trio (tenor, baritone, and bass), with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6718 10-in. 1/13/1909 Marguerite Victor Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor C-6724 12-in. 1/15/1909 Unfold, ye portals! Trinity Choir Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6803 10-in. 2/15/1909 Soldiers' chorus Glyndwr Mountain Ash Welsh Male Choir Male vocal chorus composer  
Victor C-6865 12-in. 3/6/1909 Dio possente Emilio de Gogorza Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6904 12-in. 3/18/1909 Roméo et Juliette : Valse Blanche Arral ; Victor Orchestra Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-6907 12-in. 3/18/1909 Air des bijoux Blanche Arral ; Victor Orchestra Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-7006 12-in. 4/17/1909 All hail thou dwelling pure and lowly George Hamlin Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-7024 12-in. 4/29/1909 O ma lyre immortelle Jeanne Gerville Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-7044 10-in. 5/5/1909 Waltz from Kermesse scene Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-8004 10-in. 5/24/1909 Vulcan's song Frederick Gunther Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-8120 10-in. 7/19/1909 Sing, smile, slumber Elizabeth Wheeler Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra and flute obbligato composer  
(Results 151-175 of 1110 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gounod, Charles," accessed March 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102530.

Gounod, Charles. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102530.

"Gounod, Charles." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102530

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