Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819 – October 5, 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann.
Offenbach was born in Cologne, Germany, to a Jewish family. He began studying the cello at the age of six and showed early talent for music. In 1833, he moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire de Paris. He graduated in 1835 with a degree in cello performance.
After graduating from the Conservatoire, Offenbach began working as a cellist in the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique. He also began composing operettas, which were a popular form of entertainment in Paris at the time. His first operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, was a huge success when it premiered in 1858.
Offenbach went on to write over 100 operettas, including La belle Hélène (1864), La Périchole (1866), and The Tales of Hoffmann (1876). His operettas were known for their catchy melodies, witty dialogue, and satirical humor. They were immensely popular in Paris and throughout Europe, and they helped to popularize the operetta genre.
Offenbach was also a successful impresario. He founded his own theater, the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, in 1855. The theater was a major success, and it helped to launch the careers of many young composers, including Léo Delibes and Georges Bizet.
Offenbach died in Paris in 1880 at the age of 61. He was a major figure in the development of the operetta genre, and his music continues to be enjoyed by audiences today.