Japanese tragedy in two acts to a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, from the drama by David Belasco.
First performance: Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 17 February 1904. Other versions in three acts and two acts and two scenes.

Madama Butterfly also found its origins in the representation of the play Madame Butterfly by David Belasco which Puccini attended in London on 21 June, 1900 (the composer was in London for the British premiere of Tosca). After a few months Puccini asked Ricordi to secure the rights of the drama. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa were once again entrusted with writing the libretto. The same method of work was repeated for Madama Butterfly and the same interpersonal exchanges that had occurred for La bohème and Tosca also took place.
Again with Madama Butterfly Puccini decided to eliminate an entire act of the libretto, the so-called “act of the consulate”. The first musical drafts were put to paper in November 1901.
It is noteworthy that Puccini expressed in several letters his desire to know Japanese music, apparently to create an appropriate musical setting for his first exotic work. His musical composition, which had been considerable in 1902, suffered a serious interruption: the consequences of a serious car accident (25 February 1903) forced Puccini to remain immobile for several months and the inconvenience of hospitalization and convalescence were further burdened by a delicate family situation. For these reasons, it became necessary to postpone the date of the debut.

The world premiere was one of the most memorable fiascos in the history of opera: Puccini, the librettists and Ricordi immediately withdrew the work. Thus began a long and complex history of successive changes, cuts, additions and reconsiderations of the changes. However, the work returned again a few months after the premiere in Brescia (28 May 1904) and its triumphal march throughout the world then begins.