Charles-François Gounod (born Paris 17 June 1818; died Saint-Cloud (France) 17 October 1893) was a French composer. Gounod (pronounce: “Goo – no”) wrote many different kinds of pieces, but he is best known today for his operas "Faust" and "Roméo et Juliette" and, especially, for the very popular “Ave Maria” which is a melody that goes with a prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach.