Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was born with the last name Eberst but when the Eberst family moved, his father changed the family's last name to the name of their hometown: Offenbach, Germany.
Offenbach moved to Paris when he was a young man. That is where he learned to play the cello. He eventually became the conductor for a French theater and soon started writing operettas (little operas). Offenbach's operettas mimicked the serious style of ballet and opera but were made comical through silly plots and dancing clowns.
Offenbach also wrote Can Can music, which was very popular in Paris at that time. Can Can music, with its upbeat, cheerful tempo is perfect for dancing!
The music Offenbach wrote in Paris has come to represent this famous city.
