grave defects as the subject of an opera. The character of Madame
Butterfly herself, with her _naïve_ love for the American naval
officer, her belief that she is a real American bride and that he
will return to lift her once more into the paradise from which she
was so cruelly cast out by his departure, and, when the truth of her
"marriage" is at last revealed, her tragic recourse to the honourable
dagger is a fit subject for music. The emotions to be expressed are
mainly lyrical. The other characters are outside musical treatment.
F. B. Pinkerton, the American naval officer, is never possessed of
any lyrical emotion, except when he expresses his remorse for the
consequences of his misdeeds; Sharpless, the American consul, who
acts as a go-between, feels nothing but a vague disquietude, which is
easily drowned in a whisky-and-soda, and later a rather tender pity
for Butterfly; Goro, the marriage-broker, is antipathetic to music;
Mrs. Pinkerton is the merest of shadows; and of all the cast the only
characters that have thoughts or feelings which can be interpreted
by music are Butterfly's faithful maid, Suzuki, and her uncle Bonzo,
who objects on religious grounds to Butterfly's marriage. Puccini
has written a love-duet for the American naval officer and Madame
Butterfly, but as he can make no pretence to any more passionate
feeling than a passing sensualism there is a want of emotional grip in
the scene. Then the Japanese environment of the story does not help
the composer. Madame Butterfly is only Japanese by fits and starts.
When she is emotional she is a native of modern Italy, the Italy of
Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini himself. It could not be otherwise,
for there is no musical local colour to be imitated which would serve
in passionate scenes.
[Illustration: PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT SCORES, FROM THE FIRST ACT OF
"MADAMA BUTTERFLY"]
"The composer has overcome many of these difficulties with much
cleverness. When the stage itself is not musically inspiring, he falls
back on his orchestra with the happiest effect. The prosaicness of the
European lover and his friend the Consul and the sordid ideas of the
Japanese crowd are covered up by a clever musical _ensemble_, and the
whole drama is drawn together by Puccini's sense of atmosphere....
Madame Butterfly herself is a musical creation. The composer could
not, of course, make her Japanese, but very poetically he has made
her musically _naïve_ and sincere. She is a fascinating figure from
the moment when she appears singing of her happiness in having been
honoured by the American's choice. Her share in the love duet is also
well conceived. It is not exactly passionate music; rather ecstatic and
sensitive. And the gradual smirching of this butterfly's brightness
until in the end she becomes a wan little figure of tragedy is subtly
expressed in the music. It is not deep music--indeed it should not
be--but it has all the more effect because it is thoroughly in
character. Even when Madame Butterfly sets her child on the ground
and addresses to him her last worship before dying with honour she is
not made to rant by the composer. A German would not have forgotten
Isolde's Liebestod; a Mascagni would have remembered his own Santuzza;
a Verdi would have metamorphosed the Geisha into an Aïda; but Puccini
has kept to his conception of the character and she is never once
allowed to express herself on the heroic scale."
_Madama Butterfly_ is published (like all the operatic works of
Puccini) by Ricordi, who, with the vocal score (the English translation
being by R. H. Elkin), departed from the usual style of binding and
issued it in a very decorative "Japanesy" cover of white linen, with
all sorts of tasteful little designs--butterflies and flowers--jotted
about on the cover and on the margins.
My final paragraph may well be an expression of thanks to those who
have been kind enough to assist me with the preparation of my little
book. First of all I would thank Signor Puccini, who has cheerfully
submitted to two things which he cordially detests--sitting for his
photograph on two special occasions and answering letters. Again would
I thank him for the time he was good enough to spare me when I had the
pleasure of meeting him in London during his last two visits. Then to
Messrs. Ricordi, who not only have been at considerable pains to verify
casts, first performances and biographical details, but have generously
enriched my library of opera scores by those Puccini works which I
did not possess. Yet again, to Mr. C. Pavone, their representative in
London, for considerable assistance most cheerfully rendered; and to my
friends Mrs. John Chartres--for helping out my very limited knowledge
of Italian, and Mr. Percy Pitt--for allowing me to see his orchestral
scores of the Puccini operas.
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MR. GERVASE ELWES
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Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant
preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.
Simple typographical errors were corrected.
Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.
Page vii: Illustration "PUCCINI IN HIS STUDY AT HIS MILAN HOUSE"
(facing page 46) is not in the List of Illustrations.
Page 15: "On! how I" may be misprint for "Oh!".
Page 19: "music schools, agencies," was missing the first comma; added
here.
Page 88: "the toils of her enchantment" was printed that way.
Page 96: "E luce van stelle" was printed that way.
Page 100: Missing closing quotation mark added after 'at least equal to
his.'.