''Bagatelle'' is a one-act

opéra-comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

, with a French

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Hector Crémieux In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

and

Ernest Blum Ernest Blum (15 August 1836 – 18 September 1907) was a French playwright. Biography He made his debut as a writer at the age of sixteen with ''Une femme qui mord''. As a journalist, he was associated with ''Le Charivari'', '' Le Rappel'', '' L ...

.Lamb A. Jacques Offenbach (work list). In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. It was first produced on 21 May 1874 at Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens under the direction of the composer.

Roles

Synopsis

The piece is set in the boudoir of a star of café-concert, Bagatelle. Her maid Finette is having an affair with a clarinetist reduced to playing in the Cirque Fernando band, Pistache. After a performance, Bagatelle is rehearsing a peasant song when an 18-year-old young admirer enters through the window. He is Georges de Planteville and to ensure they stay together he throws the keys through the window. However Pistache had been hidden in the apartment also; in the morning Finette has to release all three. It emerges that Georges had defended Bagatelle during her show against detractors, so she returns his love.

Recordings

Recordings on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

References

{{Authority control One-act operas Operas by Jacques Offenbach French-language operas Operas Opéras comiques 1874 operas