Noctave
Born in Paris in 1818, Gounod won the Prix de Rome in 1839 and discovered early church music in Italy, which shaped him for the rest of his life. Back in Paris he served as choirmaster of a parish before turning to opera: Faust, first performed in 1859, and Roméo et Juliette, in 1867, made his name. He also wrote masses, songs and a few piano pieces, and died in Saint-Cloud in 1893.
His Ave Maria rests entirely on Bach's Prelude in C major, BWV 846, so begin with that prelude, in its easy and then its full version, until the accompanying figure falls naturally under your fingers. Then you can listen to Gounod's melody above it, play it first on its own in the right hand, and finally with the prelude shared between both hands, as his solo piano version asks.