author
Michel Carré
1819–1872
Best known for helping shape some of 19th-century French opera’s most enduring stories, this prolific librettist turned literary and dramatic ideas into works that still echo on stage. He is especially associated with collaborations that helped bring Faust and other operas to life.
1 Audiobook
Faust: A Lyric Drama in Five Acts
by Charles Gounod, Jules Barbier, Michel Carré
About the author
Born in Besançon and active in Paris, Michel Carré was a French librettist and playwright of the 19th century. Sources agree that he first intended to become a painter, but soon moved toward writing, publishing verse and plays before finding his place in the theater and opera world.
He became especially well known through his work with other writers and composers. Carré is closely linked with Charles Gounod’s operas, including Faust, and with other major French operatic works of the period. His career shows how important librettists were in shaping the emotional tone, pacing, and dramatic power of opera.
Some library and authority records list him as 1819–1872, while other widely used biographical sources give 1821–1872. What is consistent is his reputation as a remarkably productive figure in French musical theater, with a body of work that remained influential long after his death.