Of German Jewish descent, Jacques Offenbach was born He was born Jacob Eberst in 1819, but his father changed the family name to Offenbach after he had left his home town Offenbach-am-Main and settled in Cologne. He taught himself cello and it remained his instrument of choice throughout his life. Known for most his career for light and humorous music (such as perennial favorite Orpheus in the Underworld and its can-can), he created the opera Tales of Hoffman to showcase his "serious" nature.