Ballet Music: No. 5 Moderato con moto
from Faust by Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was born in 1818 in Paris, France and died in Saint Cloud, France in 1893.
Charles Gounod wrote twelve operas, and though not all his operas were well received, the opera Faust is still a favourite with audiences today. His journey to writing opera was a little unusual. After winning the prestigious travelling scholarship Prix de Rome when he was a student at the Paris Conservatoire, Gounod spent three years away from France studying in Italy, Vienna and Berlin. On his return to France, he briefly became very serious about becoming a priest, but chose to continue with his career in music.
Ten years after the premiere in 1859, Gounod wrote extra music for several ballet scenes that the Paris Opéra chose to include in its production. “Ballet Music from Faust” is now primarily performed in concerts and consists of seven short movements.
Worksheet for Primary classrooms
Step 1. Watch the video to learn about Harp Pedals
Step 2. Listen to the TSO recording of Ballet Music No. 5
Step 3. Answer 10 questions
Step 4. Download a Word Search
