A lifelong resident of Paris, Gounod can hold a claim to being the most important figure in late 19th century French music on account of his influence on later composers. Studying at the Paris Conservatoire, Gounod left in 1839 to travel through Europe, initially to Rome but then on through Austria and Germany. He was profoundly struck by the music he heard at the Sistine Chapel and by the German musical tradition, and upon his return was uniquely cosmopolitan in his influences among Parisian mu...