Charles Gounod (1818-1893) was unquestionably a man of great talent. But he abused it miserably. The composer of ‘Faust’ should have left his mark deeply on French art. He only added one or two successful operas to it. His songs show his talent in its picturesqueness and variety. But they also show with terrible plainness its abuse. It seems safe to say that there are not half a dozen of them which a self-respecting singer can study. On the whole, Gounod is best in his songs where he is least pretentious--namely, in the little serenade, ‘Sing, Laugh, Sleep,’ which without grudging we may call utterly charming. The Barcarolle, _Ou voulez-vous aller_, may also be included among the excellent ones. Then comes a large collection of sentimental or emotional songs which seem beneath a musician’s notice--songs such as _A la Brise_, _Mignon_, or the well known ‘Oh, That We Two Were Maying.’ The last is in a screaming sentimental style which has fortunately died, except in the vaudeville houses of England. Some of the concert pieces--like the Arabian song ‘Medje,’ or the waltz, _O legère hirondelle_--are frankly cheap and undeniably effective. Another class of songs on which Gounod made a glittering reputation was the religious. One of them, which is quite the best, set a whole fashion for grandiose lyrics exploiting what might be called ‘popular religion.’ This song, ‘Nazareth,’ has its marked beauties and doubtless should not be held responsible for the fruits it produced, especially in England. Yet even apart from the consideration of ultimate results we cannot help feeling that this beautiful song represents a rather theatrical type of religion. And the other songs are consistently worse. _L’ange Gardien_ and _La salutation angélique_ have their beauties, but smell much of the theatre. Others of the religious songs, like ‘There Is a Green Hill Far Away’ and _Temple, ouvre-toi_, are execrable.