The Long LineThe Long Line

Giacomo Puccini

Madama Butterfly

Opera

Composed 1903 Stage

Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The Schickling catalog number is SC 74.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synopsis

Atto I

In 1904, a U.S. naval officer named Pinkerton rents a house on a hill in Nagasaki, Japan, for himself and his soon-to-be wife, "Butterfly". Her real name is Cio-Cio-San (from the Japanese word for ; -san is a plain honorific). She is a 15-year-old Japanese girl whom he is marrying for convenience, and he intends to leave her once he finds a proper American wife, since Japanese divorce laws are very lenient. The wedding is to take place at the house. Butterfly had been so excited to marry an American that she had earlier secretly converted from Buddhism to Christianity. After the wedding ceremony, her uninvited uncle, a bonze, who has found out about her conversion, comes to the house, curses her and orders all the guests to leave, which they do while renouncing her. Pinkerton and Butterfly sing a love duet and prepare to spend their first night together.

  1. Introduction
  2. “E soffitto… e pareti…” (Pinkerton, Goro)
  3. “Questa è la cameriera” (Goro, Pinkerton)
  4. “Sorride Vostro Onore?” … “Qui verran” … “Quanto alla discendenza” (Suzuki, Goro, Pinkerton, Sharpless)
  5. “Dovunque al mondo” (Pinkerton, Sharpless)
  6. “Ed è bella la sposa?” … “Quale smania vi prende!” … “Amore o grillo” (Sharpless, Goro, Pinkerton)
  7. “Ier l’altro, il Consolato” (Sharpless)
  8. “Ecco! Son giunte al sommo del pendìo” (Goro, amiche di Butterfly, Butterfly)
  9. “Ah, ah! Quanto cielo!”… “Ancora un passo or via” (Le amiche, Butterfly, Sharpless)
  10. “Gran ventura” … “Quanti anni avete?” (Butterfly, Amiche, Pinkerton, Sharpless, Goro)
  11. “L’Imperial Commissario” … “Che burletta” … “O amico fortunato” … “Mi pare un re” (Goro, Pinkerton, coro, Butterfly, Cugina, Madre, Yakusidè, Zia, Sharpless)
  12. “Vieni, amor mio!” (Pinkerton, Butterfly, Goro)
  13. “Ieri son salita tutta sola” (Butterfly, Pinkerton)
  14. “Tutti zitti!” (Goro, Il Commissario Imperiale)
  15. “Madama Butterfly” (Amiche, Butterfly)
  16. “Ed eccoci in famiglia” (Pinkerton, Coro, Il Bonzo, Butterfly, Suzuki)
  17. “O Kami! O Kami!” … “Cio‐Cio‐San! Abbominazione!” (Bonzo, Goro, Pinkerton, parenti, amiche)
  18. “Ehi, dico basta, basta!”
  19. “Bimba, bimba, non piangere” (Pinkerton, coro, Butterfly, Suzuki)
  20. “Viene la sera” (Pinkerton, Butterfly, Suzuki)
  21. “Quest’obi pomposa”
  22. “Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malìa” (Butterfly, Pinkerton)
  23. “Vogliatemi bene, un bene piccolino” … “Un pò'di vero c'è” … “Oh quanti occhi fisi” (Butterfly, Pinkerton)

Atto II

Pinkerton left shortly after the wedding, and three years later, Butterfly is still waiting for him to return. Her maid Suzuki keeps trying to convince her that he is not coming back, but Butterfly does not believe her. Goro, the marriage broker who arranged her marriage, keeps trying to marry her off again, but she does not listen to him either. The American consul, Sharpless, comes to the house with a letter, which he has received from Pinkerton who asks him to break some news to Butterfly: that Pinkerton is not coming back to Japan. However, Sharpless cannot bring himself to finish it. Sharpless asks Butterfly what she would do if Pinkerton were not to return. She then reveals that she gave birth to Pinkerton's son after he had left and asks Sharpless to tell him.
From the hill house, Butterfly sees Pinkerton's ship arriving in the harbour. She and Suzuki prepare for his arrival, and then they wait. Suzuki and the child fall asleep, but Butterfly stays up all night waiting for him to arrive.

  1. Introduction
  2. “E Izaghi ed Izanami” (Suzuki, Butterfly)
  3. “Un bel dì, vedremo” (Butterfly)
  4. “C’è. Entrate” … “Non lo sapete insomma” (Goro, Sharpless, Butterfly, Suzuki, Yamadori)
  5. “Si sa che aprir la porta” … “Udiste?” (Butterfly, Sharpless, Yamadori, Goro)
  6. “A voi però giurerei fede costante” (Yamadori, Sharpless, Goro, Butterfly)
  7. “Yamadori, ancor le pene” (Butterfly, Yamadori)
  8. “Ora a noi” … “Amico, cercherete” … “Qui troncarla conviene” (Sharpless, Butterfly)
  9. “Ebbene, che fareste, Madama Butterfly” … “Due cose potrei far” (Butterfly, Sharpless)
  10. “È questo? È questo?” (Butterfly, Sharpless)
  11. “Ah! M’ha scordata?” (Butterfly)
  12. “Che tua madre dovrà” (Butterfly)
  13. “Io scendo al piano” (Sharpless, Butterfly)
  14. “Vespa! Rospo maledetto!” (Suzuki, Butterfly, Goro)
  15. “Va via! – Vedrai, piccolo amor, mia pena e mio conforto” (Butterfly, Suzuki)
  16. “Il cannone del porto! Una nave da guerra…” (Suzuki, Butterfly)
  17. “Tutto, tutto, sia pien di fior” (Butterfly, Suzuki)
  18. “Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio” (Butterfly, Suzuki)
  19. “Or vienmi ad adornar” (Butterfly, Suzuki)
  20. Coro a bocca chiusa

Atto III

Suzuki wakes up in the morning and Butterfly finally falls asleep. Sharpless and Pinkerton arrive at the house, along with Pinkerton's new American wife, Kate. They have come because Kate has agreed to raise the child. But, as Pinkerton sees how Butterfly has decorated the house for his return, he realizes he has made a huge mistake. He admits that he is a coward and cannot face her, leaving Suzuki, Sharpless, and Kate to break the news to Butterfly. Agreeing to give up her child if Pinkerton comes himself to see her, Butterfly prays before statues of her ancestral gods, says goodbye to her son, and blindfolds him. She places a small American flag in his hands and goes behind a screen, stabbing herself with her father's tantō. Pinkerton rushes in, but he is too late, and Butterfly dies.

  1. Intermezzo
  2. “Oh eh! Oh eh!” (Voci dei marinai)
  3. Comincia l’alba
  4. “Già il sole!” (Suzuki, Butterfly)
  5. “Povera Butterfly!” (Suzuki)
  6. “Chi sia?” (Suzuki, Pinkerton)
  7. “Io so che alle sue pene” (Sharpless, Suzuki, Pinkerton)
  8. “Non ve l’avevo detto?” (Sharpless, Pinkerton)
  9. “Addio, fiorito asil” (Pinkerton, Sharpless)
  10. “Glielo dirai?” (Kate, Suzuki)
  11. “Suzuki! Suzuki! Dove sei?” (Butterfly)
  12. “Tu, Suzuki, che sei” (Butterfly)
  13. “Vespa! Voglio che tu risponda” (Butterfly, Suzuki)
  14. “Quella donna? Che vuol da me?” (Butterfly)
  15. “Come una mosca prigioniera” (Suzuki, Butterfly)
  16. “Con onor muore … Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio” (Butterfly, Pinkerton)

Synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recommended recordings

Elsewhere

← All of the composer’s works