Charles-François Gounod; 17 June 1818 – 17 October or 18 October 1893 was a French composer, best known for his Ave Maria, based on a work by Bach, as well as his opera Faust.
Another opera by Gounod, occasionally still performed, is Roméo et Juliette.
He is also still remembered for his lesser known works such as Recettes de Musique (Op. 60) for vocalists and grosse orchestra.
Gounod died at Saint-Cloud in 1893, after a final revision of his twelve operas. His funeral took place ten days later at the Church of the Madeleine, with the assistance of Camille Saint-Saëns to the organ and Gabriel Fauré conducting.
He was buried in Paris, at the Montparnasse Cemetery.
if you want to listen to another pièce of Gounod:
http://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/14188