
The bumpy road to a masterpiece
The tragic story and its characters
The music and magic of Puccini
Legacy, adaptation, and controversy
YOUR GOAL
Master of Behind the screen of Madama Butterfly
schopenhauer Puccini's Madama Butterfly
He mixed a Japanese tune (oh-oh!) / With a star-spangled Navy anthem (yeah-yeah!)
schopenhauer Giacomo Puccini blended traditional Japanese music into his Western opera score.

schopenhauer Sheet music for Dovunque al mondo sits next to an illustration of Pinkerton.

schopenhauer A secret Swiss music box glows next to neon Madama Butterfly opera characters.

schopenhauer Match characters and trivia to discover the tragic story of Puccini's famous opera.
Anthem timeline: The Star-Spangled Banner was officially adopted as the US national anthem in 1931, twenty-seven years after Puccini first quoted it in his 1904 opera.
A musical scale consisting of five notes per octave. Giacomo Puccini integrated this melodic structure to craft authentic Japanese atmospheric elements for his tragic 1904 masterpiece.
Who helped Puccini in Italy by singing native Japanese songs to him during his research?
Which famous Japanese folk song about spring flowers did Puccini integrate into the oboe part of the opera?
schopenhauer The wordless Humming Chorus in Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly
What unique vocal technique is used by the offstage choir during the overnight vigil in Act II?
Which military anthem does Puccini quote in Pinkerton's first-act aria 'Dovunque al mondo'?
What scales did Western composers like Puccini use to evoke an exotic East Asian sound?
What surprising object did Puccini use to hear traditional Chinese melodies that inspired his themes?
What is the title of Cio-Cio-San's famous Act II aria in which she imagines her husband's return?
Which Japanese national song is played to announce the arrival of the Imperial Commissioner at the wedding?
