La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein

Jacques Offenbach

1867

Printed page with French text in center, columns with figures, and ornate border.

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 Exposition, where its audiences included the crowned heads of Europe. Later, because of the antimilitarism of its libretto, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein was banned in France after France’s 1871 defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.

Credits

Paris: Brandus & Dufour (ca. 1867), reprinted Paris: Ph. Maquet (after 1887); from Tales of Hoffmann, ca. 1880–1881. Paris: Choudens Père et fils [1881]. Plate A.C. 5100.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

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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.

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.

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