The Operas of Charles Gounod

Gounod was the leading opera composer in France in the mid-nineteenth century, and his best-known operas, including "Faust" and "Romeo and Juliette" date from that time. Despite the overwhelming success of "Faust" and Gounod's immense influence on all French composers of the later nineteenth century, he has been virtually ignored by scholars until now. Steven Huebner sets out to remedy this neglect with an account of Gounod's operatic career. Set in the context of Gounod's operatic world, Huebner charts the composer's career from his early decision to abandon studies for the priesthood in favour of the stage, through the years of frustration and uncertainty, to the triumphant success of "Faust", and beyond that to the years he spent in England, when he composed oratorios for the Birmingham and Norwich Festivals and became the first conductor of what is now the Royal Choral Society. The central section of Huebner's book deals with each of the major operas, discussing not only the music but also the critical reception and source material. The final section considers aspects of the composer's musical style and outlines his influence on subsequent generations of composers.