Offenbach saw a play, Les contes fantastiques d'Hoffmann, written by Barbier and Michel Carré and produced at the Odéon Theatre in Paris in 1851.

[3] A four-act version with recitatives was staged at the Ringtheater on 7 December 1881, conducted by Joseph Hellmesberger Jr.,[9] although a gas explosion and fire occurred at the theatre after the second performance.

[8] The fire at the Opéra-Comique in 1887 destroyed the orchestral parts,[10] and it was not seen again in Paris until 1893, at the Salle de la Renaissance du Théâtre-Lyrique, when it received 20 performances.

[8] Following a recording by Opéra-Comique forces in March 1948, Louis Musy created the first post-war production in Paris, conducted by André Cluytens.

[12] Outside France, the piece was performed in Geneva, Budapest, Hamburg, New York, and Mexico in 1882, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), Prague, and Antwerp in 1883, and Lvov and Berlin in 1884.

A tavern in Nuremberg: The Muse appears and reveals to the audience her purpose is to draw Hoffmann's attention and make him abjure all his other loves, so he can be devoted only to her: poetry.

The letter and the key to the room are intercepted by Councillor Lindorf ("Dans les rôles d'amoureux langoureux" – In the languid lovers' roles), the first of the opera's incarnations of evil, Hoffmann's Nemesis.

He finally arrives, and entertains them with the legend of Kleinzach, the dwarf ("Il était une fois à la cour d'Eisenach", “Once upon a time at the court of Eisenach”).

Hoffmann is tricked into believing his affections are returned, to the bemusement of Nicklausse, who subtly attempts to warn his friend ("Voyez-la sous son éventail", “See her under her fan”).

Miracle enters Antonia's boudoir to persuade her to sing and follow her mother's path to glory, stating Hoffmann is sacrificing her to his brutishness, and loves her only for her beauty.

In the original version, Hoffmann, furious at being betrayed, tries to stab Giulietta but — blinded by Dapertutto — mistakenly kills his dwarf, Pittichinaccio.

In Richard Bonynge's version, Giulietta is poisoned and dies by accidentally drinking the philter Dapertutto prepared for Nicklausse.

The tavern in Nuremberg: Hoffmann, drunk, swears he will never love again, and explains that Olympia, Antonia, and Giulietta are three facets of the same person, Stella.

[14] As a result of this and the practical demands of the Opéra-Comique director, different editions of the opera emerged, some bearing little resemblance to his conception, with cuts or the addition of music he did not sketch or compose.

[16] The work was the object of considerable further rewriting for a 1904 production in Monte Carlo by the theatre director Raoul Gunsbourg and André Bloch with new words by Barbier's son Pierre.

The air "Scintille, diamant", based on a theme from the overture to Offenbach's A Journey to the Moon was added for Dapertutto, and a sextet (sometimes called septet, counting the chorus) containing elements of the barcarolle, to make a climax to the final scene.

[14] Much of this was reproduced in 1907 by Choudens in performance materials, which also gave Dapertutto's original air to Coppélius and added a passage where Hoffmann realizes that he has lost his reflection.

[14] This edition held sway for many years around the world, while the practice arose of assigning the soprano roles to different singers, a basic denial of the dramatic unity of the work.

Offenbach intended the four soprano roles be taken by the same singer, for Olympia, Giulietta, and Antonia are three facets of Stella, Hoffmann's unreachable love.

[14] There were a few attempts to return to Offenbach's original intentions, including a “pioneering version” by the conductor Arthur Hammond for the Carl Rosa Opera Company[15] in 1952.

[15] The 1,250 manuscript-page find comprised parts of autograph vocal score, fragments of libretto and the Venice act orchestrated by Guiraud.

[10]: 90–91  de Almeida considered the main improvement was “the emergence of Nicklausse/Muse as the most important character after the title-role” giving meaning to the overall narrative and the Muse–Hoffmann relationship.

[10] In 1984 a London auction sold manuscripts of 300 pages found at the Château de Cormatin, which had belonged to Gunsbourg, consisting of virtually all the cuts from the initial rehearsal period.

[10] American researcher Michael Kaye learnt about these and set about making his own edition of 1992 (first performed on stage at the Los Angeles Opera in 1988), but, then, additional authentic music was found, and published in 1999.

[19] In early 2016, Jean-Christophe Keck announced that he had traced and identified the full manuscript of the Prologue and the Olympia act, with vocal lines by Offenbach and instrumentation by Guiraud.

Well-regarded recordings include: Peter Darrell choreographed a ballet, Tales of Hoffmann, to Offenbach's works, mostly from the latter's opera.