Gounod for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Charles Gounod was a French composer who lived from 1818 to 1893. He wrote Faust, one of the most popular operas of the 1800s, and a great deal of church music. Two of his shorter pieces are known to people who have never been to an opera: his “Ave Maria” and a funny little march about a broken puppet. The best first piece for a child is that march, the Funeral March of a Marionette.

Quick facts

• Born: 1818, in Paris, France
• Died: 1893, in Saint-Cloud, near Paris
• Era: Romantic
• Played: piano and organ
• Known for: the opera Faust, “Ave Maria,” and the Funeral March of a Marionette

The life in short

Gounod’s father was a painter, and his mother was a pianist. His father died when Charles was four. His mother gave piano lessons to support the family, and Charles was her best pupil.

He was good at drawing too, and for a while he could not choose between art and music. Music won.

At the Paris Conservatory, he won the top prize for young composers. It paid for him to live and study in Rome. There he heard the old church music of the 1500s sung in the Sistine Chapel, and it moved him for life.

Back in Paris, he worked as a church organist. He studied to become a priest for two years and then changed his mind.

He turned to opera. His first operas did not succeed. Faust, in 1859, did. Opera houses around the world took it up. When the Metropolitan Opera opened in New York in 1883, Faust was the first opera it staged.

Gounod spent a few years in England in the 1870s, where choirs loved his music. He wrote the puppet march there.

In his last years, most of his new music was for the church.

What the music sounds like

Gounod had a gift for melody. His tunes are sweet, smooth, and easy to sing. His harmony is warm and never harsh. French composers who came after him, such as Bizet and Fauré, learned from his graceful style.

Pieces to play first

Funeral March of a Marionette. A marionette is a puppet on strings. In this piece, a puppet has been broken in a duel, and the other puppets carry it away. The march tiptoes along in the woodwinds, more funny than sad. Partway through, the puppets stop for a snack. A television mystery show later used it as a theme tune.

“Ave Maria.” Gounod took a prelude by Bach, written more than 100 years earlier, and floated a new, slow tune over the top of it. Bach’s rippling notes keep going underneath from start to finish. Read Ave Maria for kids.

Soldiers’ Chorus, from Faust. A rousing march for men’s voices. Soldiers come home from war and sing of glory.

Waltz, from Faust. A whirling dance for the whole village.

Petite Symphonie. A short, cheerful symphony for nine wind instruments.

Things to do together

Puppet walk. Play the Funeral March of a Marionette. Walk with stiff arms and legs, as if on strings. Flop when the music stops.

Two composers, one piece. Play Bach’s Prelude in C major alone. Then play Gounod’s “Ave Maria.” Ask your child to hum Gounod’s tune while they listen for Bach’s notes below it. Read Bach for kids.

Add your own tune. Play Bach’s prelude again and let your child sing any slow tune they like over it. That is what Gounod did.

March or waltz? Play the Soldiers’ Chorus and the Waltz from Faust. March to one and turn to the other.

About Faust

Faust is the old story of a man who makes a bargain with the devil. It is a grown-up tale, and the full opera is long. The march and the waltz are good to hear without the story.

Print and play

Fill in a composer study notebook page for Gounod. For more music with a shiver in it, see spooky classical music for kids. To learn how opera works, read opera for kids. For the era he lived in, read Romantic era music for kids.

For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.