Jacques Offenbach was not only a composer of inexhaustible imagination, but also a virtuoso cellist. Even after his first years in Paris, he liked to perform as a musician again and again. To mark his 200th birthday in 2019, the Offenbach Edition Keck OEK publishes original compositions by the 'Mozart of the Champs-Elysées' for 'his' instrument plus piano accompaniment. The pieces are suitable for amateur studies and concert performances alike – not only in the anniversary year! Some of them were already available in older separate editions, some of them have been unpublished until now. In the present edition, they are published in three volumes according to their musical relation, based on the multiple award-winning editorial standards of the OEK. Vol. 1 contains dance-like pieces (Tarantelle / Trois Andante / Marche chinoise), Vol. 2 baroque-style parodies (Musette / Chant des mariniers galants d’après Rameau / Tambourin d’après Rameau) and Vol. 3 Romantic character pieces (La Course en traineau / Introduction et valse mélancolique / Rêverie au bord de mer / Deux âmes au ciel).

The second volume within the OEK series with original works for cello and piano is dedicated to pieces in which Offenbach explored the Baroque period. Offenbach was very familiar with the older repertoire. He was particularly inspired by Rameau, and as a tribute to the great master of French opera, Offenbach composed several fantasies, including Tambourin and Chant des mariniers galants (The Song of the Galant Boatmen). The Musette, air de ballet du XVIIème siècle was one of the composer's favorite pieces, as it marked the beginning of his international reputation as a cello virtuoso. It is published here for the first time in its original, unabridged version, in which the two extremes of Offenbach's expressive palette - wild exuberance and romantic soulfulness - find the right balance compared to earlier editions, in which the virtuoso parts have been shortened.