Charles Gounod (1818-1893) had a particularly strong influence on French composers from the middle of the 19th century.
After a classical education, he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1837. In Rome he developed his interest in church music.
He returned to Paris in 1843, after developing a wide knowledge of earlier and contemporary music abroad.



Gounod achieved considerable success in the theatre, particularly with his operas "Faust" and "Margarethe" but the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 brought a largely unprofitable interruption.