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French composer and cellist of German-Jewish descent, who created the
burlesque comic opera known as „operette“. Offenbach was born in
Cologne, Germany on 20. June 1819 and received cello- and violin
lessons at a young age. His father recognized the boy´s talents and
took him to Paris in 1833, where Jacques enrolled as a student of the
cellist Luigi Cherubini at the conservatory. However, he discontinued
his study soon and became a cellist at various boulevard-theatres and
at the opera-comique. After converting to Catholicism he married
Hermine d´Alcain in 1844 and in 1849 he became conductor of the
Theatre-Francais.
In 1855 Offenbach opened a theatre of his own, the
Bouffes-Parisiens, where he performed many of his celebrated operettas.
The first one was “Orphee aux enfers” (Orpheus in the Underworld) which
is recognized as the first of its kind. He then produced operettas in
Germany and in Vienna (1864, “The Rhine Nymphs”). Returning to Paris he
composed the successful operettas “La Belle Helene (1865), “La Vie
Parisienne” (1866),”La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein” (1867) and “La
Perichole” (1868).
After the French-German war (1870/71) the public seemed to
avoid him and his works, probably because of his German origin. To
improve his financial situation he went on a tour of the U.S.A. After
his return Offenbach started composing his only grand opera “Les Contes
d´Hoffmann” (1877, The Tales of Hoffmann) which is the most frequently
performed French opera besides Bizet´s “Carmen”. Jacques Offenbach died
in Paris on 5. October 1880.
Offenbach composed in a fluent, lively and catchy style. The
actions in his operettas often reflect the customs, important people
and events of the time in a very satirical way. His best known tunes
are probably the cancan from “Orpheus in the Underworld” and the
barcarole from “The Tales of Hoffmann”.
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