MUSI 6230 – Dr.

Haas
Term Paper – April 26, 2016.
Lourenço De Nardin Budó

From “The Sandman” to “Olympia”: A Study on the Second Act of Offenbach’s The Tales of

Hoffmann

Jacques Offenbach started working in The Tales of Hoffmann in 1873, after the

homonym play from 1851 by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. As Carré died in 1872, only Barbier

worked in the libretto with Offenbach1. Such as the play in which it was directly based, the

opera in its entirety is not an adaptation of a particular work by Hoffmann, but rather presents

E. T. A. Hoffmann himself as protagonist2 telling stories about three of his love affairs. Each of

these three stories compose acts two (“Olympia”), three (“Giulietta”), and four (“Antonia”), and

are based on his tales, respectively: “The Sandman,” “The story of the Lost Reflection,” from

“The night of New yeasr’s Eve,” and “Councillor Krespel”. Acts one (Prologue, or “Luther’s

Tavern”), and five (Epilogue, or “Stella”) are where the “real time” action takes place and

portray Hoffmann as an adored writer and professor, who is also a drunkard and is in love with

the singer Stella. Although these two acts use references from Hoffmann’s literature, they do

not compose a particular tale. In fact, his current lover, Stella, in the opera is supposed to be a

combination of the previous three (Olympia, Giulietta, and Antonia).

1
Mary Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide (Hilllsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2002), xvii.
2
Alexander Faris explains that, in many Hoffmann’s works, heroes and anti-heroes represent different
aspects of himself, which helps to justify this device adopted in the Opera. Alexander Faris, Jacques Offenbach
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1980), 198.
 Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann is the result of a combined effort, whose official

première happened in 1881, after the composer’s death (1880). Several issues aroused during

the development of this project, including bankruptcy of theatres, which led to many changes

in place, direction, cast, and consequently, in the music itself.3 Also, as says Mary Dibbern,

“The Traditional Version of Tales of Hoffmann was prepared over a period of several years after
Offenbach’s death. Contributions to this version, published in 1907 by Editions Choudens, were made by
Piérre Barbier, Ernest Guiraud, Auguste-Jacques Offenbach, León Carvalho, Raoul Gunsbourg, Jules
Barbier, and Ernest Bloch.”4

This research shall not focus on details of this process, but it is interesting to mention

that among changes in the work are included Hoffmann becoming a tenor (Jean-Alexandre

Talazac) instead of baritone (Jacques Bouhy), entire recitatives being composed by Ernest

Guiraud5, and the re-setting of the “Les Oiseaux dans la charmille.” This one (Olympia’s doll

song) went from a “gently lilting 6/8” to the famous known virtuosic coloratura piece, after the

newly cast soprano Adéle Isaac persuaded Offenbach to do so.6

As previously mentioned, the second act, “Olympia,” is based in “The Sandman,” (1816)

and this will be the focus of this study, especially regarding the characters Coppélius, Hoffman,

and Olympia. Observations about the relationships between literary work and its adaptation to

music are both based in secondary sources and this author’s interpretation.

The tale can be divided in eight sections7 and was considerably changed by Barbier and

Carré in order to adapt Hoffmann as the protagonist, in the place of his character, Nathanael.

3
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, xvii-xix.
4
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 20.
5
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, xx.
6
Alexander Faris, Jacques Offenbach (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1980), 205.
7
This division was made by François-Adolphe Loève-Veimars in his French version of the Tale. The
references about “The Sandman” here are primarily based in an English translation by Mary Dibbern of this
version, which Barbier and Carré used. It is available in Dibbern’s The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide.
Originally, Hoffmann’s story presents Nathanael, a physics student of professor Spalanzani.

Among other scientific accomplishments, the professor has recently built a sophisticated

mechanic doll (his “daughter” Olimpia8). Nathanael is corresponding with his girlfriend Clara

and his brother-in-law, Lothar, telling them about a childhood trauma related to “the

sandman,” who he believes to be a lawyer, Coppelius9, who worked in obscure experiments

with his father during the nights when he was young. He thinks this man is responsible for his

father’s death and that he is back under the guise of an optical ware salesperson, Giuseppe

Coppola. Near a mental breakdown by the fear of the return of the “sandman,” Nathanael is

calmed by his beloved Clara and her brother, and decides to deal with Coppola, buying one of

his opera glasses. However, as he was near Spalanzani’s office window, he points his sight with

the glasses to Olimpia and it makes him madly in love with her (forgetting about Clara). When

Spalanzani promotes a grand event for his daughter’s debut in the society, Nathanael cannot

help but go after her, unable to realize it is not a human being. Many of his colleagues mock

him, while Spalanzani encourages their relationship, but another day, Nathanael witnessed the

professor and Coppola fighting over Olimpia, resulting in her destruction and a serious injury on

Spalanzani (who eventually survived). Both claimed the construction of the automaton:

Coppola having made her eyes; Spalanzani, the mechanisms. Fallen and hurt, professor calls

Coppola as “Coppelius.” Nathanael finally consolidates a mental breakdown, but he is again

comforted by his now fiancé, Clara. Some time passes until a day when he is with her at the top

of a tower and another time tries Coppola’s glasses. The madness comes back as well and, after

8
“The spelling Olimpia in Hoffmann’s tale was changed by Barbier in the opera libretto to Olympia.”
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 172.
9
“In the tale, the name of Coppelius is written without an accent.” Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 172.
trying to kill Clara (saved by Lothar), a crowd gathered nearby, including Coppelius. Nathanael

jumps from the tower to the death. As Coppelius laughed.

As Hoffmann substituted Nathanael in the opera, Clara and Lothar were omitted.10

Coppola also does not appear, but only Coppélius,11 and new characters are also added. The

libretto is mostly based in sections five through seven of the original tale.

The act starts at Spalanzani’s office, where he is taking care of Olympia, with which he

expects to recover from bankruptcy. Hoffmann enters the room, where he sees Olympia for the

first time.12 As Jean-Christophe Keck describes, “The tonal instability of this recitative (it passes

through more than ten tonalities) depicts very well the bizarre atmosphere found in

Spalanzani’s apartment.”13 This is one of the recitatives written by Guiraud, which, in contrast

to Offenbach’s “in a secco Mozartian style with very simple accompaniment figures,” “become

scenes in and of themselves, using alternation between secco and arioso styles, with a varied

and colorful orchestral accompaniment containing countermelodies.”14 Nonetheless, one of

Offenbach’s original themes remained in this number, in eleventh measure, precisely the C

minor theme that evokes Coppélius15 (Figure 1).

10
In the opera, they also present Hoffmann’s muse personified in Nicklausse, one of his students and
friend, who protects him through his disastrous loving journeys. In this act, Nicklausse warns him about Olympia
being a doll, without much success. Interpreted by a mezzo-soprano, s/he might symbolize in this act both the
roles of Clara and Lothar.
11
The tale never positively affirms that they are actually the same person.
12
The scene also features Cochenille, Spalanzani’s assistant, an inexistent character in the tale.
13
Jean-Christophe Keck, “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in L’Avant Scène Opéra, No. 25, (October 1993): 47-48,
quoted in Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 40.
14
Keck, “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” 52, quoted in Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, xx.
15
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 40
 Figure 1. “Coppélius’s theme” form Recitative A (Act II). Jacques Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Vocal Score.
(New York: Schirmer, 1911), 51.

This descending scalar passage appears out of context as a contrasting sinister motive.

The quiet dynamic suggests as well that one is only thinking about Coppélius. In his original tale,

Hoffmann does not measure efforts to reinforce the dreadful quality of Coppélius through the

words of Nathanael, and how much psychological trauma he caused to the protagonist. Other

characters, on the other hand, always try to convince Nathanael that the horror is purely fruit

of his imagination.

The first appearance of this motive is when Spalanzani mentions Coppélius’s name for

the first time. It reoccurs at the beginning of Recitative B from number eight, when Coppélius

enters the stage for the first time, as well as at the very end of this number, here in the key of E

minor. This last one is after Coppélius’s deal with Spalanzani, in which he also suggests him that

marry Olympia to Hoffmann. He exits the stage laughing maniacally under that theme. Its use

however is not consistent through the act as a leitmotif. It does not appear with Coppélius in

number eleven when he slips into Olympia’s room, nor at the end of the act, when he destroys

the doll. Instead, a disturbing B-flat minor theme with the prominence of a brass chorus (fourth

measure, piano right hand in the piano reduction of figure 2) accompanies Coppelius in number
eleven (figure 2). In Coppelius’s final appearance, for the destruction of Olympia, a sequence of

diminished seventh chords is the main resource to increase tension.

Figure 2. Coppelius’s solo No. 11 (Act II). Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 94-95.

Among Guiraud’s modifications to the score, the Romance from the number ten had

one of its stanzas relocated to the beginning of the act, in number seven. The words are

Hoffman’s praise to Olympia. Although that was a modification based on the practical issue of

giving Hoffmann an important solo earlier in the act,16 the idea of him meeting with the doll

before buying Coppola’s glasses (and before her official debut) is in accordance with the

original tale. Among interesting symbolic details in this part, the chromatic sequence applied to

Hoffmann’s verse “Open your soul to the light of love” (sang in both stanzas) sets properly to

one who is developing an insane love. In the key of F major, starting from that verse, the music

16
Keck, “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” 48, quoted in Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 43.
progresses as F major - D major - G major - E-flat major - A-flat major - E major - C dominant

seventh - F major.17

A remarkable moment in this work is the already mentioned “Doll Song,” or “Les

Oiseaux dans la charmille.” Not originally intended to be a virtuosic aria, the exploration of

extremely high register made it unappropriated for the same singer to perform Olympia’s role

as well as Giulietta, Antonia, and Stella. This partially ruined the symbolism of the work, since

these characters were supposed to be related, as if the same person. Nonetheless, the

exploration of coloratura gave an interesting aspect to the character. Alexandre Faris writes:

“(…) three composers, Mozart, Donizetti and Offenbach, realized that coloratura can be used to
dehumanize the character; Queen of the Night is evil, Lucia di Lammermoor is mad, Olympia is an
Automaton. (…) The musical-box quality of the song and its accompaniment, while reminding us that
Olympia is only a piece of clockwork, endows her with a fairy-tale charm.”18

Jean Perrison adds that this song is “a parody of bel canto, stiff like a robot, and with an

idiotic text as one finds in many volumes from the last century [nineteenth century] for young

girls from a good family who had a ‘nice talent.’”19 An adaptation of the libretto to English

follows:

“The birds in the arbor / In the heavens the star of the morning / All speak to the young girl of love / Here
is the nice song! / The song of Olympia! Ah!
All that which sings and resonate / And sighs each in turn / Inflames her heart that shivers with love! /
Here is the cute little song, / The song of Olympia! Ah!”20

17
Jacques Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann in Full Score. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2014),
106, and 162.
18
Faris, Jacques Offenbach, 205.
19
Jean Perrison, “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in L’Avant Scène Opéra, No. 25, Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Paris:
Editions Premières Loges, Jan.-Fev. 1980): 44, quoted in Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 61.
20
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 61-62.
 Although Olimpia sings in “The Sandman”, her words are never mentioned. In fact, the

doll only answers to Nathanael’s amorous advances with sighs (“Ah! ah! ah!”) and no other line

is attributed to her in the whole tale. In the romance (tenth number of this act) this idea is

explored. After Olympia’s first appearance, in which she sung, Spalanzani guests left for the

supper and Hoffmann could stay alone with Olympia for the first time at the party. Hoffmann

starts his line: “Oh my Olympia! Let me admire you / With your charming gaze / Let me become

enraptured.”21 The B-flat major melody explores some chromaticism and goes to the relative

minor, thus highlighting the passion in Hoffmann’s words. In m. 13, a deceptive cadence in E-

flat major immediately followed by the repetition of a fragmented gesture in eighth-notes

breaks the mood; it also includes Olympia’s mechanical answer in mm. 14-15: “Oui! Oui!”

(Figure 3). This same idea repeats in the following phrase.

21
English words from Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 65-66. The English words differ from those on the
Schirmer’s score used as musical example.
 Figure 3. Romance from No. 10, mm. 9-15 (Act II) Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 88-89.

A direct parallel might be made with the tale, when, after dancing with Olimpia22,

“(…) Nathanael put aside his natural timidity. He took his place next to Olimpia and, his hand in hers,
spoke to her of his love in such exalted terms that no one understood, neither Olimpia, nor himself. She
looked into his eyes, and unceasingly sighed: “Ah! ah! ah!” “O celestial woman, divine creature,” said
Nathanael, “ray of love that is promised to us in another life! Clear, deep soul in which all of my being is
drowned!” Olimpia only continued to sigh “Ah ah!”23

However, as he got insanely in love with her because of Coppola’s glasses, Hoffmann is

not disapointed by her answer. In the Finale, again, the contrast of Olympia’s reaction to the

22
Although, in the tale, this happens after they dance, in the opera the scene is before.
23
Dibbern, The Tales of Hoffmann, 188.
people trying to interact with her is shown. Spalanzani offers her to dance with Hoffmann, to

which she again only answers “Oui!” As they start waltzing, a considerably chromatic melody is

sung by the chorus, while the harmony changes unproportionaly slowly, holding a G major

chord through eight measures, starting in the fourth measure of the excerpt from figure 3. Faris

describes thid moment as “a lesson to music students not to change their harmony too

often,”24 he also says that “Offenbach is keeping to his normal practice of concentrating the ear

on the melody, directing the attention of the audience to the stage, without distraction from

the orchestra pit.”25

24
Faris, Jacques Offenbach, 209.
25
Faris, Jacques Offenbach, 209.
 Figure 4. Waltz from No. 12 – Finale (Act II). Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 99.

Differently from the original tale, in which Olimpia dances with unbelievable precision,

the waltz in the opera gets out of control, increasing in tempo. The result is Hoffmann falling on

the floor26 and Spalanzani trying to put Olympia to sleep. Here, the “Oui!” gesture earlier

confined to a single quarter note is developed. Before the professor can effectively put her

away, the doll spends her remaining energy in a last virtuosic line. In a more direct reference to

26
With the fall, his glasses are broken, which probably saves Hoffmann’s life. It never happens on the tale,
where the glasses helped to drive Nathanael into suicide.
the tale, “Oui!” becomes “Ah!” and is the last word said by Olympia, although it lasts for several

measures replete with melisma and trills.

By itself, adapting to an opera a play, which is based on tales featuring the author of

those tales in the place of the original protagonists, should be a complex task. Jacques

Offenbach and Jules Barbier (with other collaborators), however, faced even more challenges in

the process and succeeded in bringing to music great literary works. Surely, it was never their

intention to portray trustfully Hoffmann’s “The Sandman” in the second act of The Tales, but

rather quote some of the tale elements within the fantastic plot that features a romanticized

version of its author. Obvious problems arise from such adaptation. As Faris says, “It is doubtful

whether Hoffmann would have approved this procedure. Not only does it drain the three

characters for whom Hoffmann is substituted of much of their significance, but it results in a

grotesquely misleading portrait of Hoffmann himself.”27 Nonetheless, the same author also

writes

“What distinguishes the music of Les Contes d’Hoffmann from that of the operettas is that Offenbach
finally believes in himself as a serious composer. There is no parody. The dramatic passages are no longer
pseudo-Meyebeer, pseudo-Bellini, pseudo-anybody; they are Offenbach. It is not that the thematic
material is of higher quality than hitherto (…), but he now exploits them to greater advantage.” 28

Although not a literal adaptation, Offenbach’s music in The Tales certainly lives up to the

quality of Hoffmann’s work.

27
Faris, Jacques Offenbach, 198.
28
Faris, Jacques Offenbach, 208.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dibbern, Mary. The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide. Hilllsdale, NY: Pendragon Press,
2002.

Faris, Alexander. Jacques Offenbach. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1980.

Hoffmann, E. T. A. Tales of Hoffmann – Selcted and translated with an introduction by R. J.

Hollingdale. New York: Penguin Books, 1982.

Keck, Jean-Christophe. “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” L’Avant Scène Opéra, No. 25 (October 1993):
47-48, quoted in Dibbern, Mary. The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide. Hilllsdale,
NY: Pendragon Press, 2002.

Perrison, Jean. “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in L’Avant Scène Opéra, No. 25 (Jan.-Fev. 1980): 44,
quoted in Dibbern, Mary. The Tales of Hoffmann: A Performance Guide. Hilllsdale, NY:
Pendragon Press, 2002.

Offenbach, Jacques. Les Contes d’Hoffmann in Full Score. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.,
2014.

Offenbach, Jacques. Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Vocal Score. New York: Schirmer, 1911. Accessed
April 26, 2016 International Scores Music Library Project,
http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/7/7f/IMSLP44120-PMLP06710-Offenbach-
ContesdHoffmannVSa2fe.pdf.