Jacques Offenbach was a composer, cellist, and impresario of the Romantic period. His influence extends beyond his own creations to the works of other eminent composers like Johann Strauss, Jr. and Arthur Sullivan.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born on June 20, 1819, in Cologne, Prussia, Jacques Offenbach, originally named Jacob Offenbach, hailed from a deeply musical family. His father, Isaac Juda Eberst, was a cantor at the Cologne Synagogue and also an adept violinist. Known as “Der Offenbacher,” Isaac was an itinerant musician, lending his voice to synagogues and playing the violin in cafes.
Young Offenbach was introduced to the violin at an early age, but by the age of nine, he had shifted his focus to the cello. The family trio, consisting of Offenbach on the cello, his brother Julius on the violin, and sister Isabella on the piano, began performing at local dance halls, cafes, and inns.
Journey to Paris and the Paris Conservatoire
In 1833, Isaac Offenbach decided to take his sons, Julius and Jacques, to Paris, convinced that the city would offer them greater opportunities. There, Jacques enrolled as a cello student at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire. He also adopted the French version of his name, “Jacques,” during this time.
Career as a Cellist and Composer
Offenbach’s talents extended beyond performance to composition as well. He began composing small pieces during his early years in Paris and continued to do so throughout his life. He achieved international fame as a cellist, and his performances with notable musicians like Flotow further cemented his reputation in the music world.
The Turn to Operetta and Success
Offenbach’s real passion, however, lay in creating comic pieces for the musical theater. He began composing operettas in 1847, with his first work, L’alcove. Despite initial challenges in staging his pieces, Offenbach managed to open his own theater, the Bouffes-Parisiens, in 1855. Here, he presented a series of his small-scale pieces, many of which gained immense popularity.
His first full-length operetta, Orphee aux enfers (“Orpheus in the Underworld”), premiered in 1858 and received massive acclaim. This success was followed by a string of other successful operettas in the 1860s, including La belle Helene (1864), La Vie parisienne (1866), La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein (1867), and La Perichole (1868). These works, filled with risque humor and satirical barbs, became internationally renowned.
Association with the Second French Empire and Later Years
Offenbach’s works often contained gentle satires of the empire of Napoleon III, leading to the composer becoming associated with the Second French Empire. He was even granted French citizenship and the Legion d’Honneur by Napoleon III himself.
However, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 placed Offenbach in an unfavorable position due to his German birth and imperial connections. Despite this, he found success in Vienna and London and managed to re-establish himself in Paris in the 1870s.
Legacy and Final Years
In his final years, Offenbach focused on completing his grand opera, Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann). Unfortunately, he passed away on October 5, 1880, before he could witness its premiere.
Offenbach left behind a rich legacy of music that continues to be appreciated today. His works have been revived and performed throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and his influence on the operetta genre continues to be felt. Jacques Offenbach’s life and works serve as a testament to his enduring contribution to the world of music.