Gounod: Vocal Works
View all works by Gounod in the main appExplore the complete catalog of Vocal compositions by Gounod. This curated list includes composition years, historical Wikipedia context, and interactive audio to add specific tracks directly to your listening queue.
| Title | Year | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| A Cécile, song for voice and piano |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| A la Madone |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| A toi mon coeur |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| A une bourse, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| A une jeune fille, song for voice and piano |
In this list of Erik Satie's musical compositions, those series or sets comprising several pieces (e.g., Gnossienne 1, Gnossienne 2, etc.) with nothing but tempo indications to distinguish the movements by name, are generally given with the number of individual pieces simply stated in square brackets. If the pieces in a series have distinct titles, for example the 21 pieces in Sports et divertissements, all titles are given. Many of Satie's works were not published until many years after they were composed, including a considerable number first published posthumously. This article gives the known or approximate date of composition for each work. |
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| A une jeune grecque, song for voice and piano |
In this list of Erik Satie's musical compositions, those series or sets comprising several pieces (e.g., Gnossienne 1, Gnossienne 2, etc.) with nothing but tempo indications to distinguish the movements by name, are generally given with the number of individual pieces simply stated in square brackets. If the pieces in a series have distinct titles, for example the 21 pieces in Sports et divertissements, all titles are given. Many of Satie's works were not published until many years after they were composed, including a considerable number first published posthumously. This article gives the known or approximate date of composition for each work. |
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| An Evening Service, for chorus and organ |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Au printemps |
Au Printemps (English: "In Spring") can refer to: Au printemps (album), a 1958 album by Jacques Brel "Au printemps", a song on that album "Au printemps", an 1865 song by Charles Gounod, see List of compositions by Charles Gounod "Au printemps", an 1867 song by Léo Delibes, see List of compositions by Léo Delibes "Au printemps", an 1881 short story by Guy de Maupassant, see Guy de Maupassant bibliography |
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| Ave verum |
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's subsequent visit to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (the Visitation). It is also called the Angelical Salutation, as the prayer is based on the Archangel Gabriel's words to Mary. The Hail Mary is a prayer of praise for and of petition to Mary, regarded as the Theotokos (Mother of God). Since the 16th century, the version of the prayer used in the Catholic Church closes with an appeal for her intercession. The prayer takes different forms in various traditions and has often been set to music. In the Latin Church, the Hail Mary forms the basis of other prayers such as the Angelus and the Rosary. In the psalmody of the Oriental Orthodox Churches a daily Theotokion is devoted to ascribing praise to the Mother of God. In addition, the Eastern Orthodox Churches have a common private prayer quite similar to the Hail Mary, though without the explicit request for intercession. The Eastern Catholic Churches follow their respective traditions or adopt the Latin Church version, which is also used by many other Western groups historically branching from the Catholic Church, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, Independent Catholics, and Old Catholics. |
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| Beware: I know a maiden, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Blessures, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Boire à l'ombre, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Boléro, song for voice and piano |
This is a complete list of compositions by Maurice Ravel, initially categorised by genre, and sorted within each genre chronologically in order of date the composition was completed. Catalogue "M" numbers were assigned by the musicologist Marcel Marnat according to date of composition. Arrangements by Ravel of his own works were assigned the "M" number of the original followed by a letter (a, b, c, etc.). Arrangements by Ravel of other composers' works or of "traditional" music were assigned a separate "MA" number, in order of date of arrangement. |
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| Chanson du printemps |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Chanson printanière, for voice and piano | ||
| Chants sacrés, 60 part songs for voices and organ in 3 volumes | ||
| D'un coeur qui t'aime, for soprano, alto, and piano |
D'un cœur qui t'aime (A heart that loves you) is a motet by Charles Gounod. He set a religious text by Jean Racine in both a version for soprano, alto and piano, and another for two four-part choirs a capella. |
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| Dans cette étable, for chorus and orchestra |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Donne-moi cette fleur, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Gallia: Lamentation, motet for soprano, chorus, orchestra, and organ |
Gallia is an 1871 motet for soprano, chorus, orchestra, and organ by Charles Gounod. The text is a setting of Lamentations with alternative French text by Gounod. It was written for the 1871 International Exhibition in London. |
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| Hynne a la Nuit | ||
| Invocation |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| It is not always May, song for voice and piano |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| Jésus de Nazareth, for baritone and piano with organ ad lib., "Nazareth" | ||
| L'absent |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| L'âme d'un ange, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| La chanson du pêcheur, for voice and piano |
Sapho is an opera in three acts by Charles Gounod, premiered 16 April 1851 at Salle Le Peletier of the Paris Opera. The libretto was by Émile Augier after the life of the poet Sappho of Lesbos. The creation of the work was given an impetus by, and provided a central role for, the mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot. It was presented only nine times in its initial production, but was a succès d'estime for the young composer, with the critics praising Act 3 in particular. It was later revised to two acts on 26 July 1858, and revised again to 4 acts at the Palais Garnier on 2 April 1884, achieving a total of 48 performances. |
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| La rédemption, trilogy of oratorios for soloists, chorus and orchestra |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| La Reine Du Matin |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| La salutation angélique, song for voice, piano, violin or cello and organ ad lib. | ||
| Le ciel a visité la terre, song for voice or unison chorus and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Le soir |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| Le temps des roses |
Thomas Jolly is a French actor and artistic director of La Piccola Familia, a theatre company that he founded in Rouen in 2006. Jolly's early life in Normandy was marked by a strong interest in theater, performing from a young age in his hometown of La Rue-Saint-Pierre. He began acting in 1993 and joined the children's theatre company, Théâtre d'enfants, in Rouen. He later studied theatre at the University of Caen and the National School of the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes, where he directed his first play, Jean-Luc Lagarce's "Photography". In 2006, Jolly established La Piccola Familia. He directed the national drama center Le Quai d'Angers from January 1, 2020, until November 2022. He was the artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and also the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, the former of which was criticized by Christian denominations and socially conservative politicians. |
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| Le Vendredi-Saint, for chorus |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Les deux pigeons |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Les sept paroles du N.S. Jésus-Christ sur la croix |
Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix (The seven words of Christ on the Cross) is a musical setting of sayings of Jesus on the cross by César Franck, composed in 1859. The work was never performed during Franck's lifetime and was only discovered in 1955, when the University of Liège acquired an autograph score from a private owner. The work's structure resembles Franck's Les Béatitudes, consisting of a prologue followed by individual movements setting sayings, or in this case sometimes single phrases, of Jesus. |
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| Mass in B flat major |
St. Cecilia Mass is the common name of a solemn mass in G major by Charles Gounod, composed in 1855 and scored for three soloists, mixed choir, orchestra and organ. The official name is Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile, in homage of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The work was assigned CG 56 in the catalogue of the composer's works. |
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| Mass no. 2 in F major, op. 1 |
C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel minor is C minor. The C major scale is: These are less common and mostly used in jazz. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The C harmonic major and melodic major scales are: On the piano, the C major scale can be played by playing only the white keys starting on C. |
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| Messe brève no. 5 aux séminaires, for 2 tenors, bass, male chorus and organ |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Messe brève no. 7 aux Chapelles |
Messe brève no. 7 is a missa brevis in C major by Charles Gounod, composed in 1877 for two vocal parts and organ, and expanded in 1890 to four choir parts and organ. It is subtitled "in C aux chapelles". |
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| Messe brève pour les morts, for soloists, double chorus and orchestra in F |
Missa brevis (Latin for 'short Mass'; plural: Missae breves) usually refers to a Mass composition that is short because part of the text of the Mass ordinary that is usually set to music in a full Mass is left out, or because its execution time is relatively short. |
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| Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile |
St. Cecilia Mass is the common name of a solemn mass in G major by Charles Gounod, composed in 1855 and scored for three soloists, mixed choir, orchestra and organ. The official name is Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile, in homage of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The work was assigned CG 56 in the catalogue of the composer's works. |
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| Messe solennelle no. 4 for chorus and 2 organs, "Messe Chorale" | ||
| Miserere, for 4 soloists, chorus and organ ad lib. |
Music for the Requiem Mass is any music that accompanies the Requiem, or Mass for the Dead, in the Catholic Church. This church service has inspired hundreds of compositions, including settings by Victoria, Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, Fauré, Dvořák, Duruflé and Britten. For centuries settings of the Mass for the Dead were to be chanted in liturgical service monophonically. Later the settings became polyphonic, Victoria's famous 1605 a cappella work being an example. By Mozart's time (1791) it was standard to embed the dramatic and long Dies irae (Day of Wrath) sequence, and to score with orchestra. Eventually many settings of the Requiem, not least Verdi's (1874), were essentially concert pieces unsuitable for church service. |
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| Missa angeli custodes, for soloists, chorus and organ |
Music for the Requiem Mass is any music that accompanies the Requiem, or Mass for the Dead, in the Catholic Church. This church service has inspired hundreds of compositions, including settings by Victoria, Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, Fauré, Dvořák, Duruflé and Britten. For centuries settings of the Mass for the Dead were to be chanted in liturgical service monophonically. Later the settings became polyphonic, Victoria's famous 1605 a cappella work being an example. By Mozart's time (1791) it was standard to embed the dramatic and long Dies irae (Day of Wrath) sequence, and to score with orchestra. Eventually many settings of the Requiem, not least Verdi's (1874), were essentially concert pieces unsuitable for church service. |
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| Mon habit, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Mors et Vita |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| My true love hath my heart, for chorus and piano |
The Clavier-Übung III, sometimes referred to as the German Organ Mass, is a collection of compositions for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach, started in 1735–36 and published in 1739. It is considered Bach's most significant and extensive work for organ, containing some of his most musically complex and technically demanding compositions for that instrument. In its use of modal forms, motet-style and canons, it looks back to the religious music of masters of the stile antico, such as Frescobaldi, Palestrina, Lotti and Caldara. At the same time, Bach was forward-looking, incorporating and distilling modern baroque musical forms, such as the French-style chorale. The work has the form of an Organ Mass: between its opening and closing movements—the prelude and "St Anne" fugue in E♭ major, BWV 552—are 21 chorale preludes, BWV 669–689, setting two parts of the Lutheran Mass and six catechism chorales, followed by four duets, BWV 802–805. The chorale preludes range from compositions for single keyboard to a six-part fugal prelude with two parts in the pedal. The purpose of the collection was fourfold: an idealized organ programme, taking as its starting point the organ recitals given by Bach himself in Leipzig; a practical translation of Lutheran doctrine into musical terms for devotional use in the church or the home; a compendium of organ music in all possible styles and idioms, both ancient and modern, and properly internationalised; and as a didactic work presenting examples of all possible forms of contrapuntal composition, going far beyond previous treatises on musical theory. |
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| Noël, for soprano, alto, female chorus and piano with organ ad lib. | ||
| O salutaris, for chorus and piano or organ |
Hungarian Romantic composer Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was especially prolific, composing more than 700 works. A virtuoso pianist himself, much of his output is dedicated to solo works for the instrument and is particularly technically demanding. The primary cataloguing system for his compositions was developed by Humphrey Searle; it has been thoroughly revamped by Michael Short and Leslie Howard. |
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| Oh! that we two were maying, song for voice and piano with harmonium and viola ad lib. | ||
| Pater noster, for chorus and organ |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Prière du soir |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Prière du soir, for chorus |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Primavera, song for voice and piano |
Hungarian Romantic composer Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was especially prolific, composing more than 700 works. A virtuoso pianist himself, much of his output is dedicated to solo works for the instrument and is particularly technically demanding. The primary cataloguing system for his compositions was developed by Humphrey Searle; it has been thoroughly revamped by Michael Short and Leslie Howard. |
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| Quand l'enfant prie, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Queen of Love, song for voice and piano |
Charles-François Gounod (UK: GOO-noh, US: goo-NOH, French: [ʃaʁl fʁɑ̃swa ɡuno]; 17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893) 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 repertoire. 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. |
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| Regina coeli, for 5 voices |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Repentir |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Réponse de Medjé, song for voice and piano |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Sérénade, "Chantez, riez, dormez" | ||
| There is a green hill far away |
"There is a green hill far away" is a Christian hymn, originally written as a children's hymn but now usually sung for Passiontide. The words are by Cecil Frances Alexander, and the most popular tune by William Horsley. |
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| Tobie |
Tobie is an oratorio by Charles Gounod to words by Lefèvre from 1854. |
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| Under Thy Grace |
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's subsequent visit to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (the Visitation). It is also called the Angelical Salutation, as the prayer is based on the Archangel Gabriel's words to Mary. The Hail Mary is a prayer of praise for and of petition to Mary, regarded as the Theotokos (Mother of God). Since the 16th century, the version of the prayer used in the Catholic Church closes with an appeal for her intercession. The prayer takes different forms in various traditions and has often been set to music. In the Latin Church, the Hail Mary forms the basis of other prayers such as the Angelus and the Rosary. In the psalmody of the Oriental Orthodox Churches a daily Theotokion is devoted to ascribing praise to the Mother of God. In addition, the Eastern Orthodox Churches have a common private prayer quite similar to the Hail Mary, though without the explicit request for intercession. The Eastern Catholic Churches follow their respective traditions or adopt the Latin Church version, which is also used by many other Western groups historically branching from the Catholic Church, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, Independent Catholics, and Old Catholics. |
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| Viens, les gazons sont verts |
This is a list of musical compositions by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), sorted by musical work category and date. |
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| Vierges d'Athenes, for voice and piano |