New-York tribune., 1876-05-06
"REMINISCENCES OF OFFENBACH.
uE HOME AND LIFE OF THE COMPOSER OF OPERA


BOUFFE.
70 the Editor OF The tribune
SIR: Offenbach, the composer of so much light
and sparkling music is physically the reverse OF his
musc He is frail and mOrose, and it is difficult to
imagine how he ever conceived the bOiserous music
of LA Belle Helene" and of LA Grande
Duchesse" He has always had on me, as man,
funerea effect; perhaps that is owing TO the hrst
impression received. He has country place at
Etretat on the coast of Normandy, and some friends
with whom was spending a few days there pro-
posed one evening that should call on the lllustr
Gus father of the OperaBouie. lwaslntroduced 10 nun
but he struck me at once as man OF lew WORDS,
and soon left the room The moaning of a violonceO
in the next room, undergoing the painful operation
of being tuned. which always seems to make string
instruments growl in very unmusical manner, re-
minded me that Offenbach Whose name is not Often
bach-I forget his real name now, but Ofenbach is
the of the place he came from was considered
wonderful performer Oh the cello. Soon all con-
versation ceased, and in the midst of a more than
religious silence. intensified by the accompaniment
"eR bowdOn' of the waves washing the rocks below
the open window. through which the last
rays of the setting sun, illuminating spots
here and there, contrasted violently with the
gray twilight, the first lugubrous chords of Chopin's
Aorche fan6bre" struck my ears. They came from
. piano in an adjoining room. Soon the rich notes
OF the yiooncello mingled with the piano, and, when
the theme that forms the principal motive OF the
piece broke loose from the moan OF the alternate
major and minor chords which form the introduce
ho1 never heard any instrument convey to my
mind more perfect Interpretation of ChOpln's I'M
mortal phrase than the violOncello of the buo com
poser. La nature dime les andth6ses, which may be
translated, extremes meet" After the last chords
mad died ont, 0henbach came into the room where
We sat, smiling and making the joints OF his fingers
crack Hc always took great pride in his hands,
sho had habit of turning the cuffs OF his shirt
sleeves over those of his coat
M,hen he first came to Paris, he tried to earn
livelihood by giving music and yioloncello lessons,
sce sSnahce more than natural tendency pushing hlin
no so 'ne Opera BOute style. He has become so den-
suoa wlth IL that II is impossible for him TO be sue
coSstnl IN any other style of music in France. Bar
Aoui ana Robinson Crnsoe." performed in Paris
o. ne opera Comlque, fell, because as soon as the
aothOf asserted himself by pecullarity OF his
OWL OWE mode OF phrasing or orchestration the French
BuDnc shrugged its shoulders and sad Get dc
ogenoach !-as much as to say lie has no business
nIIe. One OF his finest compositions s Mass
;mnat q fortune for publisher in this country
II ne could get the score of it-but Ohcnbach,
hos wishing this TO be laughed at and cut mp
~ unpIlncipled critics, never made 1t public.
nave only heard of two performances OF it-One at
We wedding o; bis daughter. who married the son of
sn Compte, a well-known Paris theatrical mar of
nity year, ago. which took place at Etretat. and
once in Hrls, IN the private chapel OF some grdnde
sanS Tor charitable purpose. In an operctta of
his, lie Marriage aux Lanternes." there is an Ange-
tS, which Is the BeRedictus of his Mass. How much
more OF 1T he has introduced in his other operas
nobody knows Most of his music is written of an
evening in his parlor in Paris While his
children and grandchildren and other peo-
pie are talking and laughing, he sits at
aside table and works away with a will the more
noise Is made in the the he seems to like
" Sometimes he goes to the piano to play q few
notes but soon returns to his manuscript. he COM
poses the best, he says, when people make a great
SeaI OF noise around him.. AS composer his place
among the best, for he has created new style Of
music s said that 1t takes poor artist to make
hgood caricaturst. but it takes an excellent musi-
nan to write an Opera Bouffe, F.y
Hes York. April "a. 1875.