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Offenbach, Jacques, originally Jakob Eberst 1819-80
German composer

Born in Cologne, he composed many light, lively operettas, but is best known as inventor of modern opéra bouffe (funny or farcical opera), examples of which are Orphée aux enfers (1858, 'Orpheus in the Underworld'), La Belle Hélène (1864), Barbe-bleue (1866, 'Bluebeard') and La Vie Parisienne (1866, 'Parisian Life'). His one grand opera Les Contes d'Hoffmann ('The Tales of Hoffmann') was produced posthumously in 1881.