Creator Bio

Jacques Offenbach

1819–1880

A prolific composer with a light comic touch, Jacques Offenbach produced scores of operettas, a lasting musical legacy. Born in Cologne, a cantor’s son, Offenbach mastered the cello at an early age, confounding his instructor. Performances in Parisian salons led, eventually, to renown, French citizenship, and a successful streak of operettas, begetting him more fame in the mid-1860s. Maturity conferred a more serious perspective, and his impish style yielded to a more sober, sensitive approach. By the time of his death, Offenbach was a national hero, worthy of the state funeral he was given.

Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator

Primary Source

The Brazilian’s Song from the Opera La vie parisienne

Public Access
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Brazilian, I’m rich, I’ve got dough There’s plenty of gold in my sack Paree, here I am, I’ve come back And richer than ever before! Two times was I here in the past My suitcases bulging with gold A…

Primary Source

La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein

Public Access
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La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an opéra bouffe (French comic opera), composed by Jacques Offenbach when his career was at its height. It premiered in 1867 and had performances at the Paris…

Primary Source

Tales of Hoffmann

Public Access
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Tales of Hoffmann, an opéra fantastique, is the final work of composer Jacques Offenbach, who died four months before its premiere in Paris in 1881. At the time of Offenbach’s death, the opera was…
Sheet music.
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Related Guide

Music and Opera in Jewish Culture, 1750–1880

One of the most striking changes in European Jewish culture toward the later eighteenth century was marked by the entry of Jews into art music, opera houses, and the stage.