Puccini and the Music Boxes

ABSTRACTThis article reveals the source for two major themes in <i>Madama Butterfly</i> – one associated with Butterfly herself, the other with her patrimony. The assumption has been that Puccini based these themes on Japanese melodies, but his source was actually a Swiss music box playing Chinese tunes. Specific moments in the opera indicate that Puccini was aware of the titles of these tunes. The sound of music boxes in <i>Butterfly</i> and <i>Turandot</i> suggests previously unnoticed connections between these operas. The music-box melodies may be traced to Fritz Bovet's transcriptions. Puccini encountered ‘Jasmine Flower’ on these boxes, and in <i>Turandot</i> reaffirmed its status as the token of Chinese music.