‘Hoffmann’ score found in Paris

A handwritten original score of Jacques Offenbach’s last opera, “The Tales of Hoffmann,” has been discovered in the archives of the Paris National Opera, the music organization said Thursday.

The manuscript was found during a recent reorganization of the Paris Opera library.

Thought to have been lost in a fire in 1887, it provides essential and complete information on the piece as it was first seen and heard by the Parisian public in 1881.

“The Tales of Hoffmann” is the story of a young poet who tells tales of his misadventures in love to entertain his friends at a tavern.

The newly discovered version is a manuscript bearing handwritten corrections by the composer. Other corrections made after his death are also visible.