Barcarolle-(« The Tales of Hoffmann ») Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) By Estelle Bertrand-The barcarolle is a musical form whose ternary swing evokes the movement of Venetian gondoliers. Among the most famous barcarolles in the history of music, there is that of The Tales of Hoffmann (1881), a famous fantastic opera in three acts composed by Jacques Offenbach. In D major, the guitar arrangement that we offer you respects the original tonality of the piece. Over the course of the measures, the melody gains in breadth and thickness until the delicate tremolo passage. To best achieve this playing technique with the most beautiful effect, we advise you to perform a movement composed of single and successive impulses of the fingers a, m and i, pinched on the high E string. The thumb, for its part, has the function of bringing out the melody. While this technique may seem tricky at first, fluency is acquired over time, at least when practiced regularly.