GOUNOD, CHARLES. - Musician, b. in Paris on June 17, 1818, d. at St-Cloud on Oct. 17, 1893. Of precocious intellect, he studied music, letters and philosophy. Winner of the Grand prix de Rome, he was in Rome in 1840 and 1841, where he was captivated by Palestrinian polyphonic performances, so much so that he himself composed a mass, later performed with success, which earned him the appointment as maestro di cappella at S. Luigi de' Francesi.
He was then in Vienna and Leipzig. Having returned to Paris, he began a brilliant operatic career. He wrote numerous operas that met with varying fortunes, among them Faust, an authentic masterpiece. He composed much sacred music: the oratorios Tobias, Jésus sur le lac de Tibériades (1882), La Rédemption (1883), Mors et vita, four solemn masses, motets, a Stabat, a Requiem and the celebrated Ave Maria adapted to Bach's prelude.
An austere, noble and deeply religious man (in his youth he had been educated in a seminary), he impressed his personality on his art, in which sentiment plays a large part and sweetness. The instrumental writing is noble and robust, although it is often dominated by the pursuit of effect.
Bibliography4 worksM. A. Bovet, Ch. G., his life and his works, London 1890; L. Pagnierre, Ch. G., sa vie et ses oeuvres, Paris 1890; I. G. Prod'homme and A. D
BIBL.: M. A. Bovet, Ch. G., his life and his works, London 1890; L. Pagnierre, Ch. G., sa vie et ses oeuvres, Paris 1890; I. G. Prod'homme and A. Dandelot, Ch. G., sa vie et ses oeuvres, 2 vols., ibid. 1911; P. L. Hillemacher, Ch. G., ibid. n.d.
Mattei, Silverio. “Gounod, charles.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, coll. 965–966. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/gounod-charles.
MLA
Mattei, Silverio. “Gounod, charles.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, coll. 965–966. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/gounod-charles.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec6_gounod_charles,
author = {Mattei, Silverio},
title = {Gounod, charles},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VI},
pages = {965--966},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1951},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/gounod-charles}
}
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