Page 271 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 271
oi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-055-4.269-281
Operetta as a Cultural and Historical
Symptom: Offenbach through Karl Kraus
Matthieu Guillot
Univerza v Strasburgu
The University of Strasbourg
The Viennese cultural world experienced a strange phenomenon at the be-
ginning of the 20th century, you look at it from a musical or musicological
point of view. This was the curious relationship between a famous Austrian
writer and polemist, and a popular French operetta composer of the past:
Karl Kraus (1874–1936) and Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880). I will try here to
examine this original literary phenomenon, which is partly based on Of-
fenbach’s operettas. It was previously described by another famous Aus-
trian writer, Elias Canetti (1905–1994), who was an enthusiastic witness of
the time in his youth. In his numerous works Canetti often wrote of Karl
Kraus, who he called his “master”. For him Kraus was the “master of in
dignation”1. We shall see later why. Through a transverse axis, I therefore
propose to illuminate the real meaning of Offenbach’s operetta, beyond its
mere musical appearance. Not by the music, known by all, but in its socio-
logical and historical aspects. Such an approach seems possible by analys-
ing Karl Kraus’ personal contribution to Offenbach’s understanding. Yet
his thought is rather complex, sometimes paradoxical and excessive.2 But
the critical eye of this satirical and polemical writer may allow us to take
1 Elias Canetti, La conscience des mots [The Conscience of Words] (Paris: Albin
Michel, 1984), 57. Canetti emphasises with force how Kraus was an absolutely unique
speaker (56). See on this subject Matthieu Guillot, “La voie auditive d’Elias Canet-
ti. Un idéal d’entente et d’audience” [Elias Canetti’s auditory way. An ideal of under-
standing and hearing], Conférence, no. 36 (2013).
2 See for instance Edward Timms, “Karl Kraus’s Adaptations of Offenbach: The Quest
for the Other Sphere,” Austrian Studies 13 (2005): 91–108.
269
Operetta as a Cultural and Historical
Symptom: Offenbach through Karl Kraus
Matthieu Guillot
Univerza v Strasburgu
The University of Strasbourg
The Viennese cultural world experienced a strange phenomenon at the be-
ginning of the 20th century, you look at it from a musical or musicological
point of view. This was the curious relationship between a famous Austrian
writer and polemist, and a popular French operetta composer of the past:
Karl Kraus (1874–1936) and Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880). I will try here to
examine this original literary phenomenon, which is partly based on Of-
fenbach’s operettas. It was previously described by another famous Aus-
trian writer, Elias Canetti (1905–1994), who was an enthusiastic witness of
the time in his youth. In his numerous works Canetti often wrote of Karl
Kraus, who he called his “master”. For him Kraus was the “master of in
dignation”1. We shall see later why. Through a transverse axis, I therefore
propose to illuminate the real meaning of Offenbach’s operetta, beyond its
mere musical appearance. Not by the music, known by all, but in its socio-
logical and historical aspects. Such an approach seems possible by analys-
ing Karl Kraus’ personal contribution to Offenbach’s understanding. Yet
his thought is rather complex, sometimes paradoxical and excessive.2 But
the critical eye of this satirical and polemical writer may allow us to take
1 Elias Canetti, La conscience des mots [The Conscience of Words] (Paris: Albin
Michel, 1984), 57. Canetti emphasises with force how Kraus was an absolutely unique
speaker (56). See on this subject Matthieu Guillot, “La voie auditive d’Elias Canet-
ti. Un idéal d’entente et d’audience” [Elias Canetti’s auditory way. An ideal of under-
standing and hearing], Conférence, no. 36 (2013).
2 See for instance Edward Timms, “Karl Kraus’s Adaptations of Offenbach: The Quest
for the Other Sphere,” Austrian Studies 13 (2005): 91–108.
269
