Faust is a grand opera in five acts. The music was composed by Charles Gounod. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The libretto was based on Carré's play "Faust et Marguerite". Carre's play was, in turn, based on the first past of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust". The opera was first performed at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris on 19 March 1859. It was well received. The opera was Gounod's greatest success.