Charles Gounod, in the view of Camille Saint-Saëns, ought to be even better-known for his church music than for his operas. This gives some idea of the quite unprecedented quality of his sacred works, to which he devoted not only his unwavering faith but also the highest degree of musical skill. His Requiem, in particular, foreshadows Fauré, Duruflé and Poulenc, and constitutes one of the masterpieces of the genre.