GOUNOD
Charles François Gounod was born at Paris, 17th June, 1818; died there 18th October, 1893. He entered the Conservatoire in 1836, and took the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. In Rome he was appointed Honorary Maestre di Capella for life. After several years of study, he produced his Messe Solennelle in G, some portions of which were brought out in London in 1851. He held in Paris, from 1852-60, the post of conductor of the Orphéon. He wrote operas from 1851. Faust was produced at the Theatre Lyrique in 1859, and placed him at once in the first rank of his profession. Amongst his other best known operas are:—Roméo et Juliette (1867), Sapho (1851), Philemon et Baucis (1860), Cinq-Mars (1877), etc. In 1882 he produced an oratorio, The Redemption, at the Birmingham Musical Festival; and he also wrote much church music.