--- title: Giacomo Puccini author: Mark Cartwright source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) updated: 2023-06-16 --- # Giacomo Puccini _Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_ Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was an Italian composer best known for his operas *La* *Bohème*, *Tosca*, *Madama Butterfly*, and *Turandot*. Puccini drew inspiration from a wide range of literary sources, and his late Romantic [music](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Music/) with its immortal melodies emphasised the strong characters, drama, and fast pace of his emotional operas, which remain today as popular as ever. ### Early Life Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca in the Italian region of Tuscany on 22 December 1858. He came from a long line of musicians who had held the position of organist at Lucca's San Martino Cathedral since the previous century. Giacomo's father Michele (1813-1864), was both the cathedral's organist and choirmaster, and he was the director of the local music school, the Istituto Pacini; he died when Giacomo was just six years old. Unfortunately for tradition, Giacomo, although interested in music, would take an entirely different career path from his forefathers. Giacomo, the fifth of eight children, was raised by his mother, Albina, who ensured he learnt to play the organ and sing. Giacomo sang in the cathedral choir from age ten. He attended the Istituto Pacini and graduated in 1880, his final exam piece being his *Messa di Gloria*. Thanks to financial help from a cousin and a successful application for a grant, Giacomo moved on to the Conservatory in Milan. Aiming far higher than the position of organist in Lucca, Giacomo's fate had been sealed back in 1876 when he heard a performance in Pisa of *Aida* by [Giuseppe Verdi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giuseppe_Verdi/) (1813-1901). The magic of Verdi's tragic opera set in ancient [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/) convinced Puccini that he too should earn a living [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/) operas. The young composer's graduation piece at the Conservatory was *Capriccio Sinfonico*, a promising orchestral piece, but it was *Le villi* (*The Fairies*), a one-act opera, that would open doors for Puccini. The work was staged at the Teatro dal Verme in Milan in 1883. Puccini's professional career took off in 1884 when he performed music from his opera at a private party and it happened to be heard by Giulio Ricordi, the famed publisher who had Verdi on his books. Ricordi added Puccini to his publishing stable and commissioned him to write another opera. The result was *Edgar,* which premiered at Milan's La Scala [theatre](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/theatre/) in 1889. The La Scala audience has always been a testing one to win over, and unlike his first, Puccini's second opera fell flat. The composer himself considered the work a "mistake" (Thompson, 174). [ ![Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/17445.png?v=1778011088-1767515636) Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950 Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-ND) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17445/western-classical-music-c-1700-1950/ "Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950")Puccini was on safer ground with his third opera, *Manon Lescaut*, a tried and tested libretto that had been used for Jules Massenet's opera *Manon* (1884), which was itself based on the 1731 novel *L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut* by Abbé Prévost. Puccini also tried a new [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) for his premiere: Turin on 1 February 1893. *Manon Lescaut* was a raging success – the composer was obliged to take 30 curtain calls – with further productions in London and Philadelphia in 1894. The composer's career was finally launched. The story of *Manon Lescaut*, told in four acts, has Des Grieux fall in love with Manon, and they elope to escape the clutches of the elderly Géronte. Nevertheless, Manon is attracted by the life of luxury she could lead with Géronte and chooses him over Des Grieux. Géronte is suspicious that Manon has rekindled her affair with his rival, arrests her, and so she will be deported. Des Grieux boards the ship taking away Manon, and they are reunited only for Manon to die in his arms. Audiences loved it. The story of a tragic soprano heroine who dies in a singing finale would be used time and again by Puccini. ### Character & Musical Style *The New Oxford Companion to Music* describes the composer's working methods as follows: "Puccini was a slow worker, hard to please in the matter of subject and libretto, continually taking up projects only to abandon them" (1508). The same source gives the following insight into Puccini's character: "The intense sadness that permeates so much of his music reflects his own temperament. For beneath the successful composer with his penchant for blood sports, fast cars, and [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) was a lonely and sensitive man" (1509). The composer once described himself as "a mighty hunter of wild fowl, beautiful women and good libretti" (Steen, 812). Puccini was a unique composer in that he showed little interest in adapting the music of the past or adopting the innovations of his contemporaries. As one historian notes: > Whatever he was, he was completely outside the intellectual trend of his time. Musically speaking, Puccini owed little to anybody…Somewhere, somehow, he evolved a personal, immitable style that stands out among the Italian opera of his time like the song of a nightingale in a flock of starlings. > (Schonberg, 473-4) [ ![Photograph of Puccini and Toscanini](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/17492.png?v=1687345326-1685645170) Photograph of Puccini and Toscanini Unknown Artist (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17492/photograph-of-puccini-and-toscanini/ "Photograph of Puccini and Toscanini")The composer had "an unerring sense of theatre and a persuasive melodic gift, allied to a taste for sentimental plots which still reduce audiences to tears" (Thompson, 153). Some critics find Puccini's melodies too sweet for their taste – [Igor Stravinsky](https://www.worldhistory.org/Igor_Stravinsky/) (1882-1971) once described *Madama Butterfly* as "treacly violin music" (Steen, 811) – and his librettos as too plain and unsophisticated to be considered true art, but these points are probably why his operas remain so popular with audiences. Puccini's operas are "straightforward, easy to follow, and peopled with characters who face problems that arouse an emphatic reaction in all audiences" (Schonberg, 475). Above all, the music carries the action. As Puccini once instructed a soprano in rehearsals, "you have to walk on clouds of melody" (Schonberg, 483). ### Family Life & Scandal The success of his operas allowed Puccini to live well for the rest of his life. In 1891, he bought a villa in the small town of Torre del Lago near his native Lucca; today it is called Villa Puccini, and it is a museum dedicated to the composer. There he lived with his mistress since 1886, Elvira Gemignani, who was already married (to a school friend of Puccini's). The couple had started their affair when Elvira became a music pupil of Puccini's. They had a son, Antonio (b. Dec 1886), and they eventually married in January 1904 after Elvira's husband died. Tragedy struck the household in 1909 when a servant, Doria Manfredi, was repeatedly accused by Elvira (without any evidence) of having an affair with Puccini. Puccini had a long record of womanising, but in this case, he seems to have been innocent. Doria, shamed by the accusations, committed suicide by taking poison; a later medical examination revealed she was a virgin. Doria's family took Elvira to court for defamation and won. Elvira was sentenced to 5 months in prison. The scandal drove Puccini to Milan and then [Paris](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/paris/); his marriage only barely survived. [ ![The Puccini Family](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/17493.png?v=1685645501-1685645564) The Puccini Family Unknown Artist (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17493/the-puccini-family/ "The Puccini Family")### The Great Operas ***La Bohème*** Puccini's next opera has become one of the absolute favourites of opera lovers worldwide. *La Bohème* (*The Bohemian Girl*) seemed terribly modern when it was premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 1 February 1896. The libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, told across four acts, is set in the artists' world of Montmartre in Paris and was based on the novel by Henri Murger, *Scènes de la vie de Bohème*. Four bohemians share an attic: Rodolfo (a poet), Marcello (a painter), Schaunard (a musician), and Colline (a philosopher). Rodolfo falls in love with his neighbour Mimi, but she tragically dies of consumption. When Puccini finished writing the sad finale, he noted, "I had to get up, and standing in the middle of the study, alone in the silence of the night, I wept like a child. It was like seeing my child die" (Steen, 820). Curiously, Puccini indicated the point where Mimi dies in his original hand-written musical score by drawing a skull and crossbones in the margin. The premiere of *La Bohème* was conducted by Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957). The critics remained unimpressed, but the ticket sales told another story. Puccini could afford to extend his villa and buy himself a yacht, perhaps inevitably, he gave it the name *Mimi I*. ***Tosca*** *Tosca* premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) on 14 January 1900. *La Bohème* had been modern, *Tosca* added an almost brutal realism to the mix with the three-act libretto packed with rape, murder, execution, and suicide. The libretto, again by Illica and Giacosa, was based on Victorien Sardou's play *La Tosca*. Set in Rome during the [French Revolutionary Wars](https://www.worldhistory.org/French_Revolutionary_Wars/) (1792-1802), Tosca is a singer and lover of Cavaradosi, a painter, whom she is convinced is conducting an affair with Marchese Attavanti. A sinister police chief, Baron Scarpia, arrests and tortures Cavaradosi to find the whereabouts of the fugitive [consul](https://www.worldhistory.org/Consul/) Angelotti. Scarpia wants Tosca for himself and wins her favour by promising to release Cavaradosi via a fake execution. Tosca stabs and kills Scarpia, but Cavaradosi's execution turns out to be a real one, and he is killed by the firing squad. In despair, Tosca then jumps from the castle battlements to her [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/). The story was too shocking for many critics, but the public adored it. With the proceeds, Puccini bought himself a motor car, but, driven by a chauffeur, he crashed in it near Lucca and broke his leg, an accident which left him with a permanent limp. [ ![Poster for La Bohème](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/17495.png?v=1685646802-1685646839) Poster for La Bohème Adolfo Hohenstein (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17495/poster-for-la-boheme/ "Poster for La Bohème")***Madama Butterfly*** Puccini was finally back at La Scala for the premiere of *Madama Butterfly* in February 1904. The story is based on real-life events which were retold in the play *Madame Butterfly* by David Belasco (1853-1931) which had been based on the short story *Madame Butterfly* by John Luther Long which itself had blended the memoirs of Jennie Correll, a missionary's wife in [Japan](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Japan/), with the 1887 short story *Madame Chrysanthème* by Pierre Loti. The story, then, had travelled quite a bit by the time Puccini distilled it into another tear-jerker opera, this time with just two acts. The libretto is once more by Illica and Giacosa. The opera presents a Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San, also known as Butterfly, who believes she has married Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the United States Navy. Pinkerton leaves but eventually returns to Japan with his American wife. Butterfly, in utter despair, says farewell to her son and then kills herself. The opera was not favourably received at its premiere, but Puccini made changes, notably extending it to three acts. Staged in Brescia at the Teatro Grande in May 1904, this time audiences loved it. *Madama Butterfly* has since become a staple of the opera repertory worldwide. Richer with every new opera, Puccini bought himself a new car, this time a Lancia, and a second boat, which he named *Butterfly*. Puccini turned once again to a novel by David Belasco for his next opera, *La fanciulla del West* (*The Girl of the Golden West*). The opera premiered at the New York Metropolitan Opera in December 1910. The distinguished cast included Emmy Destin (1878-1930) and Enrico Caruso (1873-1921). A smash hit, Puccini's bank manager must once more have been delighted, and the composer treated himself to yacht number three, this time called *Minnie* after the Golden Girl of the West. Puccini chose to premiere his next opera, *La rondine* (*The Swallow*), in Vienna, although because of the First World [War](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) (1914-18), it was moved to neutral Monte Carlo in March 1917 (Vienna had to wait until 1920). With [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/) and Austria enemies in the war, the composer's decision to take a commission from Vienna harmed his popularity at home. Puccini's trio of one-act operas *Il tabarro* (*The Cloak*), *Suor Angelica* (*Sister Angelica*), and *Gianni Schicchi –* collectively titled *Il trittico* (*The Triptych*) – premiered in New York in December 1918. [ ![Madama Butterfly Poster](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/17494.png?v=1685646874-1685646881) Madama Butterfly Poster Leopoldo Metlicovitz (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17494/madama-butterfly-poster/ "Madama Butterfly Poster")***Turandot*** Puccini's twelfth and last opera was *Turandot*. The libretto is by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simonov. Once again the story revolves around a luckless heroine, the slave girl Liù. The three-act libretto is based on a fairytale by the 18th-century Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi and perhaps elements from *1,001 Nights*. Turandot is a nasty princess who challenges her suitors to answer three riddles. Prince Calaf answers the riddles and then challenges Turandot to discover his real name by the next day, if she succeeds he will forfeit his life. Turandot tortures Calaf's faithful slave Liù to find out the secret identity, but Liù kills herself to protect her master (was she inspired by the maid Doria's tragic fate one wonders). For once, the opera has a happy ending – a reformed Turandot marries Calaf – but the tragedy this time came in real life when Puccini died before the work was complete. Two scenes were missing, and so the final love song duet was added by Franco Alfano based on Puccini's sketches. *Turandot* was premiered two years after the composer's death at La Scala on 25 April 1926. Toscanini again conducted, and just as Liù died on stage, he stopped the music, lay down his baton, and informed the audience: "At this point in the opera, the composer died" (Sadie, 294). The public loved it all, the [aria](https://www.worldhistory.org/aria/) *Nessun dorma* (*None Shall Sleep*) being especially popular. ### Puccini's Most Famous Works The most important works composed by Giacomo Puccini, with their first performance dates noted in brackets, include: *Manon Lescaut* (1893) *La Bohème* – *The Bohemian Girl* (1896) *Tosca* (1900) *Madama Butterfly* (1904) *La fanciulla del West* – *The Girl of the Golden West* (1910) *La rondine* – *The Swallow* (1917) *Il trittico* – *The Triptych* (1918) *Turandot* (1926) ### Death & Legacy In 1921, and with his health failing, Puccini moved from his villa to live in a new one near Viareggio, although he kept Torre del Lago as his hunting lodge. Giacomo Puccini died of a heart attack in Brussels on 29 November 1924. A heavy smoker all of his life, he was undergoing treatment for throat cancer at the time. Puccini had joined the Fascist party, and the dictator [Benito Mussolini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Benito_Mussolini/) delivered the funeral oration at a service in Milan's Duomo Cathedral where Toscanini conducted the orchestra. Puccini was buried at Torre del Lago. Puccini's *Turandot* turned out to be the last great opera by any composer that is universally admired by audiences. Opera was largely replaced by the cinema and other kinds of theatre as the most popular forms of entertainment. Puccini's emphasis on character and a coherent story told with music and words meant "he was the forerunner of the composers of musicals in the 20th century" (Steen, 819). Opera made a comeback later in the century and, today, few opera houses around the world will run a season without one of Puccini's operas in it. The music historian and Puccini biographer Julian Budden gives the following reasons for the enduring popularity of Puccini's work: "His supreme mastery of the operatic craft, his melodic gift, and his emotional sincerity combine to keep his operas as freshly alive today as when they were written" (Arnold, 1509). *This article is dedicated to the author’s father, David Cartwright. From one opera lover to another and unforgettable memories of nights in Prague and [Verona](https://www.worldhistory.org/Verona/).* #### Editorial Review This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## Bibliography - [Arnold, Denis. *The New Oxford Companion to Music .* Oxford University Press, 1983.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0193113163/) - [Sadie, S. et al. *Classical Music Encyclopedia& Expanded Edition .* Flame Tree Music, 2014.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1783612835/) - [Schonberg, Harold C. *The Lives of the Great Composers.* Time Warner Books Uk, 1998.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0349109729/) - [Steen, Michael. *The Lives and Times of the Great Composers.* Oxford University Press, 2004.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195222180/) - [Thompson, Wendy. *Illustrated History of Great Composers.* Lorenz Books, 2022.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0754835561/) - [Wade-Matthews et al. *The Encyclopedia of Music.* Lorenz Books, 2020.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0754835022/) ## About the Author Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. ## Timeline - **1858 CE - 1924 CE**: Life of the Italian composer [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/). - **22 Dec 1858 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) is born in Lucca, [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/). - **1876 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) hears [Giuseppe Verdi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giuseppe_Verdi/)'s Aida in Pisa and decides to become a composer of operas. - **1880 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) graduates from the Istituto Pacini in Lucca. - **1883 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera Le villi (The Fairies) is staged at the Teatro dal Verme in Milan. - **1884 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) is given a contract by the [music](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Music/) publisher Giulio Ricordi. - **1886 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) begins a relationship with Elvira Gemignani. - **1889 CE**: [Giuseppe Verdi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giuseppe_Verdi/)'s opera Edgar premieres at Milan’s La Scala [theatre](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/theatre/). - **1891 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) buys a villa in the small town of Torre del Lago near his native Lucca. - **1 Feb 1893 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera Manon Lescaut premieres in Turin. - **Feb 1896 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera La Bohème (The Bohemian Girl) premieres at the Teatro Regio in Turin. - **Jan 1900 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera Tosca premieres at the Teatro Costanzi in [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/). - **1904 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) marries Elvira Gemignani. - **Feb 1904 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera Madama Butterfly premieres in La Scala, Milan. - **Dec 1910 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) premieres at the New York Metropolitan Opera. - **1917 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera La rondine (The Swallow) premieres in Monte Carlo. - **Dec 1918 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s triple opera Il trittico (The Triptych) premieres in New York. - **29 Nov 1924 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) dies of a heart attack in Brussels. - **Apr 1926 CE**: [Giacomo Puccini](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/)'s opera Turandot premieres at La Scala, Milan. ## Questions & Answers ### What is Giacomo Puccini best known for? Giacomo Puccini is best known for being a composer of operas, notably, La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. ### What is Puccini's most famous piece? Giacomo Puccini's most famous individual pieces of music include Nessun Dorma from Turandot and O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi. ### How is Puccini different to Verdi? Differences between the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini include the former being more concerned with historical figures or those from literature while the latter preferred librettos with a more modern and tragic heroine as the centre of the story. ## Cite This Work ### APA Cartwright, M. (2023, June 06). Giacomo Puccini. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo\_Puccini/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/) ### Chicago Cartwright, Mark. "Giacomo Puccini." *World History Encyclopedia*, June 06, 2023. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo\_Puccini/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/). ### MLA Cartwright, Mark. "Giacomo Puccini." *World History Encyclopedia*, 06 Jun 2023, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo\_Puccini/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Giacomo_Puccini/). ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 06 June 2023. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.