Madame Butterfly -- Three Act Opera

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (22 December 185829 November 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire. Some of his arias, such as "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi, "Che gelida manina" from La bohème, and "Nessun dorma" from Turandot, have become part of popular culture.

John Luther Long, 1861?, was an American lawyer and writer best known for his short story "Madame Butterfly" based on the recollections of his sister, Jennie Correll, who had been to Japan with her husband, a Methodist missionary. The story of the relationship between an American naval officer and a Nagasaki geisha (1898) and other short stories were published in Century Magazine.

Long's use of the exotic and the classical in "Madame Butterfly" reflected the blending of Japanese and traditional styles in the arts and crafts movement around the turn of the 19th century and American interest with Japan that began with the "opening of Japan" by Matthew Perry in 1854.

The story interested American playwright David Belasco who, collaborating with Long, adapted it to a one-act play. The play debuted in New York on 5 March 1900. Seven weeks later, Belasco took a three-act version of the play to London's Duke of York Theatre, where it played to full houses. The production caught the attention of Giacomo Puccini, who would compose the immortal opera "Madama Butterfly" with a libretto based on Belasco's play.

Pierre Loti (pseudonym of Julien Viaud), born January 14, 1850 in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime and died June 10, 1923 in Hendaye, was a French novelist and naval officer.

This article is derived largely from the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) article "Pierre Loti" by Edmund Gosse. Unless otherwise referenced, it is the source used throughout, with citations made for specific quotes by Gosse.