June 20 - Jacques Offenbach (The Musical Birthday Series)

Jacques Offenbach (20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) perfected an operetta style that influenced Arthur Sullivan and Johann  Strauss.

Dance Card

When Offenbach composed a waltz

He did without Vienna’s schmaltz,

Instead, when writing one-two-three,

He did it with a French esprit.

And when he wrote a dance in two,

He did it with much ballyhoo,

And such vivacity, the crew

Was out of gas when they were through.

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