Charles Gounod, Whose Faust Opened Met Opera, Was Born June 17, 1818

Summary: French composer Charles Gounod, whose Faust opened Met Opera in 1883, was born June 17, 1818.

Metropolitan Opera’s opening night by American painter Charles Courtney Curran (Feb. 13, 1861-Nov. 9, 1942): The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera, via Facebook Oct. 22, 2018

French composer Charles Gounod, whose Faust opened Met Opera in 1883, was born June 17, 1818, and passed away Oct. 18, 1893, almost 10 years after Faust’s Metropolitan Opera premiere.

The Metropolitan Opera’s opening performance took place Oct. 22, 1883. The opera house’s inaugural season began with the premiere of Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). Faust, which was performed in Italian, received 16 performances in Met Opera’s first season, 1883 to 1884.

Italian operatic tenor Italo Campanini (June 30, 1845-Nov. 14, 1896) sang the title role. Swedish operatic soprano Christine Nilsson (Aug. 20, 1843-Nov. 20, 1921) appeared as Marguerite, the opera’s tragic heroine.

Franco Novara (1859-Jan. 7, 1899) appeared as the devilish Méphistophélès. Franco Novara was the stage name of English bass Francis Naish.

The Metropolitan Opera’s inaugural opera was conducted by Italian-born, French naturalized maestro Auguste Vianesi (Nov. 2, 1837-Nov. 4, 1908). Directors were Henry De Courtney Corani (ca. 1849-May 1905) and Mr. Abbiati.

The production’s set designers were Charles Fox Jr.; William Schaeffer; Gaspard Maeder (ca. 1840-Jan. 18, 1892); and Mr. Thompson. D. Ascoli and Henry Dazian (May 3, 1854-May 4, 1937) were credited as costume designers.

Worth of Paris exclusively designed costumes for Christine Nilsson’s roles during the 1883-1884 season, according to Opera News associate editor and Met annals editor Gerald Fitzgerald (Oct. 31, 1932-May 22, 1990). English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth (Oct. 13, 1825-March 10, 1895) founded the House of Worth in Paris, France, in 1858. The prestigious fashion house catered to high society and such leading performers as French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt (22/23 Oct. 1844-March 26, 1923) and Australian operatic soprano Dame Nellie Melba (May 19, 1861-Feb. 23, 1931).

Since its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1883, Gounod’s Faust has remained in the opera house’s active repertoire. On April 5, 2013, the opera marked its 752nd performance at the Metropolitan Opera.

On April 16, 1884, almost six months after the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Faust, the opera house’s inaugural season featured the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette on April 16, 1884. Roméo et Juliette received one performance in the 1883 to 1884 season. The performance, which was sung in Italian, took place at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, southeastern Pennsylvania.

Italo Campanini sang the male title role. Polish coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich (Feb. 15, 1858-Jan. 11, 1935) appeared the female title role.

Auguste Vianesi conducted the Met Opera inaugural season’s second Gounod opera.

With the exception of the 1950s, the Metropolitan Opera has staged Roméo et Juliette in every decade since the opera’s Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1884. Met Opera’s 349th performance of Roméo et Juliette took place May 12, 2018.

Charles-François Gounod was born Wednesday, June 17, 1818, into an artistic family. His parents were married on Nov. 24, 1806, in Rouen, capital of the Normandy region, northwestern France. His father, François-Louis Gounod (March 26, 1758-May 5, 1923), was a French engraver and painter. His mother, Victoire Lemachois (June 4, 1780-Jan. 16, 1858), was a piano teacher.

Charles was the couple’s second son. His brother, Louis Urbain Gounod (Dec. 13, 1807-April 6, 1850), became an architect.

Charles Gounod entered the Conservatoire de Paris (Paris Conservatory) in 1836. His teachers included French composer Jacques François Fromental Élie Halévy (May 27, 1799-March 17, 1862), known as Fromental Halévy, whose younger daughter, Geneviève (Feb. 26, 1849-Dec. 22, 1926), married French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet June 3, 1875; French opera and oratorio composer Jean-François Lesueur (Feb. 15, 1760-Oct. 6, 1837); and French composer and pianist Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmerman (March 19, 1785-Oct. 29, 1853). On April 20, 1852, Charles Gounod married Anna Zimmerman (May 31, 1829-Oct. 19, 1907), one of four daughters born to Pierre Zimmerman and his wife, Victoire-Hortense Leduc (Aug. 19, 1801-May 10, 1888).

In 1839, Charles became the second member of his family to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. His father’s entry, “Jésus-Christ Ressuscite le Fils de la Veuve de Naïm," had won the Prix de Rome’s second prize for painting in 1783. Charles won the first prize in musical composition for his cantata, Fernand.

His first opera, Sapho, premiered April 16, 1851, in Paris, France, at 12 de la rue Le Peletier, located on the right bank (la rive droite de la Seine), in the 9e arrondissement (ninth arrondissement). The Paris Opera staged Sapho at the Salle Le Peletier, the opera house’s venue from Aug. 16, 1821-Oct. 28, 1873.

The world premiere of Gounod’s fourth opera, Faust, took place March 19, 1859, in Paris. The Théâtre Lyrique staged the premiere at its location at 72 boulevard du Temple in the ninth arrondissement.

The world premiere of Gounod’s ninth opera, Roméo et Juliette, took place in Paris eight years one-plus month after Faust’s world premiere. On April 27, 1867, the Théâtre Lyrique staged Roméo et Juliette at the opera house’s location on the east side of the Place du Châtelet, on the Seine’s right bank, on the border between the first (1er arrondissement de Paris) and fourth arrondissements (4e arrondissement de Paris).

Charles Gounod died from a stroke Wednesday, Oct. 18, 1893, in Saint-Cloud, a commune in the western suburbs of Paris. He was buried in Auteuil Cemetery (le cimetière d’Auteuil), in the French capital’s 16th arrondissement (16e arrondissement de Paris).

The takeaways for Charles Gounod, who died Oct. 18, 1893, are that the French composer’s fourth opera, Faust, opened the Metropolitan Opera Oct. 22, 1883; the opera house’s premiere of his ninth opera, Roméo et Juliette, also occurred in Met Opera’s first season, 1883-1884; and the Metropolitan Opera continues to stage regular performances of both operas.

Prestigious fashion house Worth of Paris exclusively designed all costumes worn by Christine Nilsson during the Metropolitan Opera’s opening season, 1883-1884; portraits by Cuban-born New York photographer Jose Maria Mora (ca. 1849/1850-Oct. 18, 1926): The Metropolitan Opera Guild @metropolitanoperaguild, via Facebook Sept. 17, 2014

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Metropolitan Opera’s opening night by American painter Charles Courtney Curran (Feb. 13, 1861-Nov. 9, 1942): The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera, via Facebook Oct. 22, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161173142685533/

Prestigious fashion house Worth of Paris exclusively designed all costumes worn by Christine Nilsson during the Metropolitan Opera’s opening season, 1883-1884; portraits by Cuban-born New York photographer Jose Maria Mora (ca. 1849/1850-Oct. 18, 1926): The Metropolitan Opera Guild @metropolitanoperaguild, via Facebook Sept. 17, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/metropolitanoperaguild/photos/a.10150144873997754/10152780123452754/

For further information:

Davin, François. “Gounod en Famille.” Charles Gounod Official Website > Biographie.
Available @ https://www.charles-gounod.com/gounod-en-famille.html

Devriès, Anik. “Deux Dynasties d’Éditeurs et de Musiciens: Les Leduc.” Revue Belge de Musicologie / Belgisch Tijdschrift voor Muziekwetenschap, vol. 28/30 (1974-1976): 195-213.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/3686056

Fitzgerald, Gerald, ed. Annals of the Metropolitan Opera: The Complete Chronicle of Performances and Artists. New York NY: Metropolitan Opera Guild; Boston MA: G.K. Hall, 1989.

Funkhouser, Neil. “Henry Dazian.” Fine A Grave. Aug. 19, 2017.
Available @ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182524757/henry-dazian

Gounod, Charles. Autobiographical Reminiscences With Family Letters and Notes on Music. Translated by the Hon. W. Hely Hutchinson, London, England: William Heinemann, 1896.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/charlesgounodaut00goun/

Gounod, Charles. Mémoires d’un Artiste. Paris, France: Calmann Lévy, 1896.
Available via Gallica -- The BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) @ https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62967f

“Grief Causes His Death. Corani Was First Stage Director of Metropolitan Opera House.” The New York Times. May 14, 1905.
Available @ https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/05/14/101705377.pdf

Hagar, George J. “Obituaries, American. Maeder, Gaspard.” Appletons’ Annaul Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1892, new series, vol. XVII (whole series, vol. XXXII): 558. New York NY: D. Appleton and Company, 1893.

Hagar, George J. “Obituaries, American. Novara, Signor Franco (Francis Naish).” Appletons’ Annaul Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1899, third series, vol. IV (whole series, vol. XXXIX): 670. New York NY: D. Appleton and Company, 1900.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Georges Bizet, Les Pêcheurs de Perles Composer, Died June 3, 1875.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 3, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/06/georges-bizet-les-pecheurs-de-perles.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Roméo et Juliette Is the Jan. 21, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/romeo-et-juliette-is-jan-21-2017.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Roméo et Juliette Is May 5, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, April 13, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/romeo-et-juliette-is-may-5-2018-met.html

Mesa, Franklin. Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597-2000. Jefferson NC: McFarland & Company Inc., 2007.

Met Opera Guild ‏@MetOperaGuild. “Christine Nilsson & Franco Novara starred in the Met’s very 1st opening night 130 seasons ago! http://tinyurl.com/qyquzto.” Twitter. Sept. 17, 2014.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOperaGuild/status/512306825958813697

The Metropolitan Opera Guild @metropolitanoperaguild. “The countdown to the Met’s 130th season begins! . . . .” Facebook. Sept. 17, 2014.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/metropolitanoperaguild/photos/a.10150144873997754/10152780123452754/

The Metropolitan Opera @Met Opera. "Today marks the 135th anniversary of the opening of the Metropolitan Opera, which occurred at the “old Met” on 39th Street and Broadway on October 22, 1883, with a performance of Gounod’s Faust (seen below in a painting by Charles Courtney Curran). Image courtesy of the Met Archives." Facebook. Oct. 22, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161173142685533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere; Opening Night: Faust.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 1000 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Faust {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/22/1883.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=1000

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Roméo et Juliette.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 2430 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Roméo et Juliette {1} Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 04/16/1884.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=2430

Rockwell, John (Sargent). “Gerald Fitzgerald, An Opera Magazine Associate Editor, 57.” The New York Times > Obituaries. May 29, 1990.
Available via The New York Times @ https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/24/obituaries/gerald-fitzgerald-an-opera-magazine-associate-editor-57.html

Ward, John. “Franco Novara.” The Carl Rosa Trust Ltd > The Rosa Troupe. 2017.
Available @ http://www.carlrosatrust.org.uk/troupe/troupe_Novara.html