STORY

NOTE: Our production for your school presents only ACT ONE

THE TALES OF HOFFMANN is an adaptation of three eerie and fantastic tales by a French writer, E. T .A. Hoffmann.
Each of the three acts of the opera depict one of the bizarre love affairs of the writer. The opera begins with a Prologue,
which takes place in a tavern next to an opera house. It is intermission at the opera and the patrons of the tavern ask
Hoffman to tell them the tales of his loves. Hoffman obliges them with three tales; Act One is the first story of the three
he relates.

ACT ONE takes place in the home of the scientist Spalanzani, who created a mechanical doll named Olympia, with the
help of his friend Coppelius. Hoffmann sees Olympia from afar and falls in love with her. When he comes to the house, he
is greeted by Spalanzani as a pupil. When Spalanzani leaves the room, Coppelius comes in, sees Hoffmann's infatuation
with Olympia and sells Hoffman a pair of glasses that cause Hoffmann not to see the doll as anything other than human.

Spalanzani returns, sees Coppelius, and the two have a disagreement concerning the doll's eyes, which Coppelius
made. Spalanzani buys off Coppelius with a bad check from the Bank of Elias. Coppelius suggests that Spalanzani get
the love-sick Hoffman to marry his "daughter", and leaves. Spalanzani shows off her singing ability to Hoffmann and the
young man is so overcome that he immediately asks for her hand in marriage. Spalanzani is delighted and they go into
his study to draw up the papers.

Coppelius returns, very angry at Spalanzani for giving him a worthless check. He vows revenge.

Olympia, in the meantime, is having some mechanical problems and is spinning out of control. Hoffmann and Olympia
re-enter, dancing wildly, until Spalanzani stops her. She responds to some questions by swinging forcefully, and knocks
Hoffman down. Spalanzani manages to get her to leave. Hoffmann sees Coppelius go into the room where Olympia is, a
crash is heard and Coppelius enters with part of the broken doll. Hoffmann goes off and comes back, lamenting he had
fallen in love with a mechanical doll while Spalanzani and Coppelius berate each other.

OUR COMPOSER

JAQUES OFFENBACH was born in Cologne, Germany, on June 20, 1819. He was the seventh child and second son of
Issac Judah Eberst, a Jewish Cantor. Cantor Eberst changed his name to Offenbach because he was referred to as
"Issac der Offenbacher" since he came to Cologne from the city of Offenbach.

Young Jacques showed early musical promise, learning the violin at age six, writing little songs at age eight, and
secretly studying the cello, since his parents thought him too frail to study it. However, he surprised them by filling in for
an absent cello player at a family concert and, from then on, he concentrated on the cello and played with the family trio
that toured various cafes in Cologne.

He was admitted to the Conservatory in Paris through the efforts of his father, but he was not happy there. After a year at
the Conservatory, he left for a job in the orchestra at the Opera Comique, continuing his study of the cello and
composition. He became the musical director of the Comedie Francaise, continued composing and dreamed of starting
his own theater for comic operattas.

His dream was realized on July 5, 1855, with the opening of the Bouffes Parisiens. The theater became immensely
popular and, in 1858, his "Orpheus in the Underworld" was performed. It was his greatest operatta, however, it was not
terribly successful until the leading critic of Paris wrote a scathing review which promptly caused an influx of theater
goers who wanted to see what had motivated such criticism. It ran for 228 performances, closing only because the
performers were exhausted. The "Can-Can" from it is of the most recognizable melodies that Offenbach wrote.

Offenbach wrote a number of successful operettas, enjoyed a lavish life style and became the talk of the Parisian social
set. But, in 1870, fate took a turn. He lost his theater and resorted to an American tour which gained him his last
personal triumph. After this tour in 1876, he returned to Paris and became a recluse, working on his last ambition - to
write a serious opera. His health was failing and it seemed that his will to finish the opera – “The Tales of Hoffmann” -
was all that sustained him.

He finished the opera in 1880 and gave it to the Opera Comique to produce. He asked them to have it performed without
delay since he felt he had very little time left. Unfortunately, production problems caused a delay and, on October 4,
1880, while looking at a manuscript of his opera, he suffered a fatal attack of suffocation. Four months later, the premiere
of “The Tales of Hoffmann” opened to critical acclaim, becoming one of Offenbach's greatest successes.


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