Composer. He virtually invented the 19th Century operetta form and his impact was felt throughout Europe, influencing such composers as Franz von Suppe and Johann Strauss II in Vienna and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in England. Many of his 90 works for the stage are still performed today, including "Orpheus in the Underworld" (1858), with its famous can-can, "La Belle Helene" (1864), "La Vie Parisienne" (1866), and "La Perichole" (1868). This quintessentially French musician was actually a German Jew, born Jacob Eberst in Cologne. His father was a synagogue cantor. He moved to Paris in 1833 to study cello and for several years played that instrument with the orchestra of the Opera Comique. In 1850 he was named conductor of the Theatre Francais and five years later he founded his own theatrical company, the Bouffes-Parisiens, which he managed until his death. Most of Offenbach's operettas were written for this troupe. He travelled widely and toured the United States in 1876, where the ebullience of his music took audiences by storm. Towards the end of his life, when his health began to fail, Offenbach yearned to compose a serious opera for posterity and began work on "Tales of Hoffmann," adapted from three stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was not quite finished when he died of a stroke. His friend Ernest Guiraud completed the score and "Tales of Hoffmann" was successfully premiered in 1881. It remains a repertory standard and the posthumous fufillment of Offenbach's dream.
Composer. He virtually invented the 19th Century operetta form and his impact was felt throughout Europe, influencing such composers as Franz von Suppe and Johann Strauss II in Vienna and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in England. Many of his 90 works for the stage are still performed today, including "Orpheus in the Underworld" (1858), with its famous can-can, "La Belle Helene" (1864), "La Vie Parisienne" (1866), and "La Perichole" (1868). This quintessentially French musician was actually a German Jew, born Jacob Eberst in Cologne. His father was a synagogue cantor. He moved to Paris in 1833 to study cello and for several years played that instrument with the orchestra of the Opera Comique. In 1850 he was named conductor of the Theatre Francais and five years later he founded his own theatrical company, the Bouffes-Parisiens, which he managed until his death. Most of Offenbach's operettas were written for this troupe. He travelled widely and toured the United States in 1876, where the ebullience of his music took audiences by storm. Towards the end of his life, when his health began to fail, Offenbach yearned to compose a serious opera for posterity and began work on "Tales of Hoffmann," adapted from three stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was not quite finished when he died of a stroke. His friend Ernest Guiraud completed the score and "Tales of Hoffmann" was successfully premiered in 1881. It remains a repertory standard and the posthumous fufillment of Offenbach's dream.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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