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Wonderful Music Rankings

Jacques Offenbach Popular Song Rankings [2026]

Jacques Offenbach is a composer known for creating the prototype of the operetta, a fusion of music and comedy.

Praised as the “Mozart of the Champs-Élysées” for bringing many beautiful melodies into the world, he is also known for his remarkable talent in popular music.

In Japan, he’s famous as the composer of Orpheus in the Underworld, a staple at school sports festivals.

This time, we’ll introduce a ranking of Jacques Offenbach’s most popular works—why not take this opportunity to experience the music of the man hailed as a successor to Mozart’s talent?

Jacques Offenbach Popular Songs Ranking [2026] (11–20)

Infernal Galop / Orpheus in the UnderworldJacques Offenbach15rank/position

Infernal Galop (Orpheus in the Underworld), which is well-loved in Japan as a sports day tune, is actually music in the cancan genre.

The cancan is used for dance performances where women kick their legs high, and it was often enjoyed in venues like restaurants and cafés.

It’s similar to the gallop, but it’s characterized by an even faster tempo and higher leg kicks.

You can find performance videos on YouTube and elsewhere, so be sure to check them out.

yamamoto
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Jacqueline’s TearsJacques Offenbach16rank/position

It’s Jacqueline’s Tears by Jacques Offenbach.

Offenbach is famous for the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, but as he was not only a composer but also a cellist, he also wrote works that let you enjoy the plaintive, wistful tone of the cello.

The melody is so heartrending, it’s hard to believe it was written by the same person who composed Orpheus in the Underworld.

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Overture from the operetta “Orpheus in the Underworld”Jacques Offenbach17rank/position

Orpheus in the Underworld Overture / Jacques Offenbach: Overture to the operetta 'Orpheus in the Underworld'
Overture from the operetta “Orpheus in the Underworld”Jacques Offenbach

Composed by Offenbach in 1858, this operetta was created as a parody of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which was experiencing a revival boom at the time.

For Japanese people, the third section of the overture is especially famous as a school sports-day tune, and just hearing that part might make many feel an almost reflexive urge to start running.

Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)
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