Jacques Offenbach

Observations

Jacques Offenbach was the founder of the operetta as an art form.  Gilbert and Sullivan based their work directly on his ‘invention’. Going forward, many of the Broadway musicals can trace their productions back to Offenbach.  His sense of humor was well known in his day.  However, some institutions (especially the French Opera Comique) considered him ‘too funny’ and too irreverent to be accepted.  Their loss.

Though Offenbach’s music is rollicking and full of colorful characters, his hand drawn score is delicate and minimal. It is similar in style to the drawings of the contemporary artist, Agnes Martin, known for her incredibly focused and meditative paintings and line drawings.

Agnes Martin drawing

The Collection, Museum of Modern Art, NY

Jacques Offenbach - Biography

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