Puccini's Madama Butterfly: A Short Guide to a Great Opera

By Michael Steen

Butterfly is a delicate and impressionable geisha who thinks she has married Pinkerton, a US naval officer briefly stationed in Japan. Naive and loving as she is, she does not realise that for him the marriage is a sham, an extended 'date'. It's not long before he goes away, leaving her pregnant. Still, she trusts that he will return one fine day (Un bel dì). He does, but it is not the homecoming of which Madame Butterfly dreamed: she is devastated to discover that the callous Pinkerton is now married to an American girl. Heartbroken and despairing, Butterfly commits suicide in one of the most tragic and moving climaxes in opera. In this operatic masterpiece, Puccini depicts the clash of two cultures, weaving 'The Star-spangled Banner' throughout his music. The Humming Chorus, Ah! Dolce notte! ('Oh, night of rapture'), and the Flower Song join Un bel dì in any list of favourite tunes.Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, 'Short Guides to Great Operas' are concise, entertaining and easy to read books about opera. Each is an opera guide packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience.Other 'Short Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include those on Tosca, La Bohème and Lucia di Lammermoor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: May 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781848314764

Book preview

Front coverTitle artwork

Published in the UK in 2012 by Icon Books Ltd,

Omnibus Business Centre, 29–41 North Road, London N7 9DP

email: [e-mail]

www.iconbooks.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-84831-476-4 (ePub format)

ISBN: 978-1-84831-468-9 (Adobe ebook format)

Text copyright © 2012 Michael Steen

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typesetting by Marie Doherty

CONTENTS

Title page

Copyright

PREFACE

USING THIS EBOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PUCCINI’S MADAMA BUTTERFLY

THE OPERA AND ITS COMPOSER

WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S WHAT

THE INTERVAL: TALKING POINTS

The first night fiasco

Puccini’s achievement

The dominant role of Butterfly

The clash of Eastern and Western cultures

ACT BY ACT

Act 1

Act 2 Part 1

Act 2 Part 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sources of quotes

Other sources

NOTES

Short Guides to Great Operas

PREFACE

This guide is aimed at the ordinary opera-goer and opera-lover, usually a busy person who wants to know the essentials of the opera but has little time to grasp them.

It provides key background information to Madama Butterfly, told engagingly by someone who knows the opera intimately.

It is light, easy to read, and entertaining. Relevant information has been carefully selected to enhance your appreciation of Puccini’s work.

It is authoritative, but not dense or academic. It is unburdened with the clutter that can easily be obtained elsewhere. It concentrates on information that it will help you to know in advance.

Read quickly before going to the opera or listening to it at home, you will get the very best out of the performance and have a truly enjoyable experience.

Opera can