Gounod’s Opéra Lyrique A. Another trend in opera in the mid-century was French opéra lyrique—a genre of opera that was more restrained than grand opéra. B. The chief practitioner of this style was Gounod. C. The music is paired down to an almost domestic-appropriate scale. D. In his Faust, Gounod focused more on the love story between the characters than the metaphysical interests of Goethe. E. Wagner and others criticized Gounod for trivializing great literature