Puccini Giacomo - 1 St. Edition Madama Butterfly Rare First Edition - 1904-1904

Very Rare Original 1904 edition of the first performance of Madame Butterfly

Rare Italian first edition of Madama Butterfly, a Japanese tragedy in two acts by Giacomo Puccini, one of the most famous and influential operas of the 20th century.

Volume published by Edizioni Ricordi in 1904, the year of the opera’s first performance, on the occasion of the so-called “New Edition” immediately after the debut, as clearly indicated on the cover.

It is one of the very first official printings, today extremely difficult to find on the market.

Splendid cover illustrated in an orientalist style, with refined decorative motifs and stylized dragons, typical of early 20th-century Art Nouveau aesthetics, of great graphic and collectible impact. The typography is consistent with Ricordi editions of the era, printed in Italy.

The volume represents a fundamental historical document of opera history, directly linked to the genesis and diffusion of Madama Butterfly, an absolute masterpiece of Puccini’s repertoire.

Conditions:
Original period book, in perfect condition. Cover present and intact, with normal signs of wear at the edges and on the paper.

Rarity:
The authentic 1904 first edition of Madama Butterfly Ricordi is an object of extremely high collectible interest, sought after by music, opera, ancient books, and Puccini memorabilia collectors. Similar copies rarely appear on the market.

A unique opportunity to acquire a fundamental piece of Italian and European music history.

Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, described in the score and libretto as a "Japanese tragedy" and dedicated to Queen Elena of Montenegro.

The premiere took place at La Scala in Milan, on February 17, 1904, during the Carnival and Lent season.

Puccini chose the subject of his sixth opera after attending the Duke of York's Theatre in London, in June 1900, the one-act tragedy Madame Butterfly.

Puccini was one of the greatest composers, comparable to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Joseph Haydn, Giuseppe Verdi, Georg Friedrich Händel, Johannes Brahms, Gioachino Rossini, Antonio Vivaldi, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ennio Morricone, Gustav Mahler, Niccolò Paganini, and Richard Strauss.