Jacques Offenbach

Jacques Offenbach (Cologne, 20 June 1819 - Paris, 5 October 1880) was a German composer.

Early life

He was born Jakob Levy Eberst, the son of the cantor at the main synagogue of Cologne. He studied at the Paris Conservatory, 1833-7, becoming a good cellist. (There was a rule forbidding foreigners to study there, but he so impressed Luigi Cherubini that the rule was waived.) He joined the orchestra of the Ambigu Comique in 1834 and the Opera-Comique in 1837, and in 1850 became conductor of the Theatre Francais.

Subsequent career

He produced his first operetta, Pepito, in 1853 and subsequently wrote nearly 100 operettas. He managed the Theatre Comte (which he renamed the Bouffes-Parisiennes) 1855-61, during which time he became recognised as Paris' leading operetta composer, and the Theatre de la Gaite 1873-5, but he preferred writing to managing. He toured London in 1857 with great success.

In 1871, he had to flee from Paris due to the hostility against Germans caused by the Franco-Prussian War. He returned in 1873, but ran into financial difficulties; these were overcome by a lucrative tour of the USA in 1876-7.

He also wrote some orchestral music, including a concerto for his beloved cello.

Contributions to opera

Offenbach started writing a large-scale opera, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, completed after his death by Ernest Guiraud. Another opera, The Goldsmith of Toledo, was assembled after his death using music from several operettas.

Contributions to ballet

He wrote the music for several harlequinades, and much of his theatre msic has been adapted for ballet purposes, notably Gaite Parisienne (1938) by Manuel Rosenthal.

References

• Blom, Eric, Everyman's Dictionary of Music, 3rd ed (1958), p.407
• Koegler, Horst, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet, 2nd ed (1987, ISBN 0-19-311330-9), Oxford University Press pp.30-1
• Warrack, J & West, E, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992, ISBN 0-19-869164-5), Oxford University Press pp.516-7