Opera guides
Faust: synopsis, roles, arias and diction notes
Gounod's Faust: premiere cast, voice types, synopsis by act, the Jewel Song, Golden Calf and other famous numbers with first lines, and French diction notes.
Diction Desk editors · Checked 19 October 2026 against 6 sources
Faust is a grand opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré1. It debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris on 19 March 18591. Its best-known numbers include Marguerite's Jewel Song and Méphistophélès' Le veau d'or2,3.
- Composer
- Charles Gounod1
- Librettists
- Jules Barbier and Michel Carré1
- Premiere
- 19 March 1859, Théâtre Lyrique, Paris1
- Language
- French2
- Acts
- 51
- Genre
- Grand opera1
Contents
Faust is a grand opera, a genre that emerged in Paris during the first half of the 19th century and typically runs five acts2. This page collects the facts to check before you open the score, one of many guides in the operas section.
At a glance
Gounod wrote the opera in five acts to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré1. The text is drawn from Carré’s play Faust et Marguerite, itself loosely based on Goethe’s Faust, Part One1. Barbier was a French poet, writer and opera librettist who often worked with Carré5.
It debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris on 19 March 18591. The first version used spoken dialogue1. Faust succeeded only after the dialogue was replaced with recitatives, and it then spread to many European stages4. The manager of the Théâtre Lyrique, Léon Carvalho, cast his wife Caroline Miolan-Carvalho as Marguerite1.
The opera reached Dresden in 1861 billed as Margarethe1. Its first Italian performance was at La Scala in 18621. In 1869 a ballet was inserted into the Walpurgis Night scene before the work could be played at the Opéra1,4. The Walpurgisnacht ballet is usually omitted from modern staged performances1.
Who’s who
| Role | Voice type | Premiere singer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faust | Tenor | Joseph-Théodore-Désiré Barbot1 | A philosopher and metaphysician1 |
| Méphistophélès | Bass-baritone | Mathieu-Émile Balanqué1 | The devil who tempts Faust2 |
| Marguerite | Soprano | Caroline Miolan-Carvalho1 | A young maiden1 |
| Valentin | Baritone | Osmond Raynal1 | A soldier, Marguerite’s brother1 |
| Siebel | Mezzo-soprano (breeches role) | Amélie Faivre1 | A youth in love with Marguerite1 |
| Marthe Schwerlein | Mezzo-soprano or contralto | – | Marguerite’s guardian1 |
Siebel is a breeches role, a young man’s part sung by a woman1. Edward Reszke became renowned for his interpretation of Méphistophélès4. For the baritone Charles Santley, Gounod wrote a new aria for Valentin in 1864, which was later translated into French as Avant de quitter ces lieux1.
Synopsis
Act 1
Faust, an aging scholar, determines that his studies have come to nothing1. Méphistophélès appears in the duet Me voici, with a tempting image of Marguerite at her spinning wheel, and asks for Faust’s soul in return1,2.
Act 2
A chorus of students, soldiers and villagers sings a drinking song1. Méphistophélès sings Le veau d’or, the Golden Calf, in this act2. Valentin entrusts the care of his sister Marguerite to his youthful friend Siebel1.
Act 3
Marguerite enters, pondering her encounter with Faust at the city gates1. Faust sends Méphistophélès in search of a gift for Marguerite and sings the cavatina Salut, demeure chaste et pure, idealizing her as a pure child of nature1. Marguerite sings the Jewel Song2. She also sings a melancholy ballad about the King of Thule, Il était un roi de Thulé1. Marguerite allows Faust to kiss her1.
Act 4
After being made pregnant and seemingly abandoned by Faust, Marguerite has given birth and is a social outcast1. Méphistophélès sings a mocking burlesque of a lover’s serenade under her window, Vous qui faites l’endormie1. With his dying breath Valentin blames Marguerite for his death and condemns her to hell1.
Act 5
The Walpurgis Night scene shows Méphistophélès and Faust surrounded by witches1. Méphistophélès then helps Faust enter the prison where Marguerite is held for killing her child1. A voice on high sings Sauvée! (Saved!)1. Anges purs, anges radieux is the trio for Marguerite, Faust and Méphistophélès3.
The famous arias
| Aria | Role | Act | First line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le veau d’or | Méphistophélès | 22,3 | Le veau d’or est toujours debout3 |
| Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre | Faust | 33 | Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre3 |
| Salut, demeure chaste et pure | Faust | 31 | Salut, demeure chaste et pure1 |
| Il était un roi de Thulé (ballad) | Marguerite | 31 | Il était un roi de Thulé1 |
| Jewel Song | Marguerite | 32,3 | Ah! je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir1 |
| Vous qui faites l’endormie (serenade) | Méphistophélès | 41 | Vous qui faites l’endormie1 |
| Anges purs, anges radieux (trio) | Marguerite, Faust, Méphistophélès | 53 | Anges purs anges radieux3 |
Barbier died on 16 January 1901, so his text is in the public domain5. Here are lines in the original, each with our own plain translation:
| Original | Our translation |
|---|---|
| Salut, demeure chaste et pure1 | Greetings, dwelling chaste and pure |
| Il était un roi de Thulé1 | There was once a king of Thule |
| Ah! je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir1 | Ah! I laugh to see myself so lovely in this mirror |
| Vous qui faites l’endormie1 | You who pretend to be asleep |
Background
Gounod, a French composer, conductor and organist of the Romantic era, lived from 17 June 1818 to 18 October 18936. The Metropolitan Opera opened for the first time on 22 October 1883 with Faust, sung in Italian1. Up to the 2012/2013 season the work was performed there 753 times4.
Language and diction notes
Faust is sung in French2, so the rules in French diction for singers apply throughout.
Where to go next
Two more French scores to study are Manon and Werther. For the sounds behind your transcription, start with IPA for singers.
