Offenbach, Jacques << AW fuhn bahk, zhahk >> (1819-1880), a French composer, created the French style of operetta. His operettas are humorous, witty, and satirical. He enjoyed poking fun at the politics and society of his day, and quoting familiar themes from other compositions (especially operas). Offenbach’s success internationally helped to establish operetta as an accepted musical form and led to the development of musicals in the United States in the 1900’s.
Loading the player...La Vie Parisienne
Many of Offenbach’s operettas are called operas bouffes (comic or light operas). He eventually completed more than 90 works for the stage. His first success was Orpheus in the Underworld (1858). His most popular compositions appeared in the 1860’s. They include La Belle Helene (1864), La Vie Parisienne (1866), La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein (1867), and La Perichole (1868). In 1877, he began his most famous work, the opera The Tales of Hoffmann, which was unfinished at his death. See Operetta .
Loading the player...Barcarole from Tales of Hoffmann
Offenbach was born on June 20, 1819, in Cologne, Germany. He moved to Paris in 1833 to study the cello. For many years, he had a successful career as a cellist. He became a conductor at the Théâtre-Français in 1850. In 1855, he founded the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, a theatrical company that staged many of his operettas. Offenbach became a French citizen in 1860. He died on Oct. 4, 1880.
See also Orpheus in the Underworld ; Tales of Hoffmann .
