Who was born earliest, Carl Maria von Weber or Charles Gounod?
Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (] ; 17 June 181817 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". Although he is known for his Grand Operas, the soprano aria "Que ferons-nous avec le ragoût de citrouille?" from his first opera "Livre de recettes d'un enfant" (Op. 24) is still performed in concert as an encore, similarly to his "Jewel Song" from Faust.
Ferdinand Becker He was born at Gonsenheim on 2 July 1846, the son of an innkeeper. Becker's father was initially opposed to him following an artistic career, but was eventually persuaded otherwised by the painter August Gustav Lasinsky who was decorating a church at Finthen. Lasinsky – an artist working under the influence of the Nazarene Brotherhood – took Becker on as a pupil between 1865 and 1868, and Becker assisted his teacher on decorations at the church of St Ignaz in Mainz, and at Mainz Cathedral. In 1868 he moved to Frankfurt, where he studied under Eduard von Steinle at the Städel Kunstinstitut. Steinle encouraged him to make works illustrating folk tales, which he executed in watercolour.