Gounod was the leading opera composer in France in the mid- nineteenth century, and his best-known operas, including Faust and Romeo et 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 here sets out to remedy this neglect. In the context of Gounod's operatic world, he 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, 'Gounod the Progressive', considers aspects of the composer's musical style and outlines his influence on subsequent generations of composers. This substantial but eminently approachable work is sure to be welcomed as a significant contribution to musical scholarship.

Steven Huebner's profile page

Steven Huebner, Assistant Professor of Music, McGill University.

'serious, scholarly and discriminatingly sympathetic treatment' Michael Kennedy, Sunday Telegraph

'informative, valuable study ... Huebner is just and sensible about the skill (not always acknowledged) with which Gounod's trusted librettists Carre and Barbier adapted great dramas by Goethe and Shakespeare to a practicable length and to a level within the grasp of the opera-going public' Opera

'a most sympathetic and gently persuasive study of a composer too often vilified, and now unjustly neglected. May Professor Huebner be listened to, and the good Charles replaced on his proper pedestal.' John Higgins, The Times

'This study is a welcome and expert monograph that puts Gounod firmly back on the historical agenda. This book is an indispensable stage in our quest for a critical 'dialogue' with the past century, and its many strengths lie in its concentration upon its sources.' David Charlton, University of East Anglia, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 117, No. 1, 1992

'meticulous and erudite study...If Gounod has no real rivals, then neither has this indispensable book.' Times Higher Education Supplement

'This study is a welcome and expert monograph that puts Gounod firmly back on the historical agenda. The analysis of Gounod's principles in the musical setting of poetic accents is convincing and clear, and should stimulate appreciation of his crucial role in moulding the character of late nineteenth-century French opera. This book is an indispensable stage in our quest for a critical "dialogue" with the past century, and its many strengths lie in its concentration upon its sources.' David Charlton, University of East Anglia, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, Volume 117, Part 1, 1992

'He has excavated and evaluated hitherto unknown materials and has incorporated them excellently into his fluently written account.' Music and Letters

'"Faust", of course, takes up a good deal of space. Huebner's recital of the revisions and alterations it underwent is of immense value to the musicologist.' Michael Kennedy, Sunday Telegraph

'it presents the detailed, perceptive appreciation of a scholarly mind, not one easily impressed by facile melodies, portentous banalities or any of the other weaknesses that are (or used to be) commonly laid to Gounod's charge' Gramophone

'admirably fair and scrupulously researched...Professor Huebner uses his first 100 pages to set the Gounod operas against the background of musical life in Paris, a subject on which he is expert.' John Higgins, The Times