The true story of Cio-Cio-San (photo). How in Japan they sold temporary wives or the real story of cio-cio-san Puccini Madame Butterfly Summary
Japanese tragedy in two acts and three parts; libretto by L. Illika and J. Dzhakozy on the story of the same name by J. L. Long and on the drama of the same name by D. Belasco.
First production: Milan, La Scala Theater, February 17, 1904; as amended: Brescia, Grande Theater, May 28, 1904.
Characters:
Madame Butterfly (Cio-Cio-san, soprano), Suzuki (mezzo-soprano), Kat Pinkerton (mezzo-soprano), Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (tenor), Sharples (baritone), Goro (tenor), Prince Yamadori (tenor), Uncle Bonza (bass), Yakuside (baritone), Commissioner (bass), clerk (bass), mother Chio-Cio-san (mezzo-soprano), aunt (mezzo-soprano), cousin (soprano), Dolore (boy; mimic role), relatives, friends, girlfriends, servants of Cio-Cio-san.
The action takes place in Nagasaki at the beginning of the 20th century.
The first action.
Japanese house on one of the hills near Nagasaki. Goro shows him to the US Navy lieutenant Pinkerton, who is going to live here with the young geisha Chio-Chio-san: their marriage according to the Japanese ritual is due to take place soon. The American consul Sharpless appears, to whom Pinkerton sets out his frivolous views on life, in particular, on marriage with a Japanese woman, leaving him the opportunity to eventually marry an American (duet "Dovunque al mondo il yankee vagabondo", "Amore o grillo"; "Yankee wanderer" "," Caprice il passion "). But in the distance, the voices of Cio-Cio-san and her friends are heard. Cio-Cio-san, nicknamed Butterfly, talks about her life: her father was a noble samurai, but poverty made the girl become a geisha ("Nessuno si confessa mai nato in poverta"; "Is it easy to remain a beggar to someone who was rich?"). She is ready to renounce her religion, if Pinkerton wants it. When the wedding ceremony ends, a fun feast begins, which interrupts the arrival of an angry Uncle Butterfly - a bonze. He learned about the niece's intentions to convert to Christianity and curses her along with other relatives. Pinkerton chases everyone away and takes his wife home (duet "Viene la sera ...", "Bimba dagli occhi pieni d" amore ";" Ah, what an evening! "," I still admire your eyes ").
The second action. Part one.
Three years have passed. A butterfly stroke in his house awaits Pinkerton's return and convinces the maid of Suzuki that he will return soon ("Un bel di, vedremo"; "On a clear day welcome"). Sharpless and Goro enter: there is a letter in the consul’s hands in which Pinkerton asks him to inform Butterfly that he was married to an American. Sharples does not dare to say anything about this to a young woman. He advises her to accept the offer of Prince Yamadori. Butterfly shows them his little son: he is waiting for his father. A cannon shot is heard announcing that an American ship has arrived at the port. Butterfly is filled with joy, she decorates the house with flowers ("Scuoti la fronda"; "Let the flowers with their petals") and waits for Pinkerton. The night is coming. Suzuki falls asleep near the child, Butterfly awake, motionless as a statue.
Part two.
It is getting light. Butterfly, tired of a sleepless night, lay down to rest. At that moment, Pinkerton, his wife, Kat, and the consul enter the house: the lieutenant hopes that his ex-lover will give him the child. After learning from Suzuki how she was waiting for him, he cannot help but worry ("Addio, fiorito asil"; "Farewell, my peaceful haven"). Butterfly on Kat's face and from the words of the consul guesses about everything. She will give her son only to her father in half an hour. When everyone leaves, she curtains the room and prepares for death. Suzuki pushes the boy into the room, hoping to avert his mother from terrible intent. The young woman tenderly says goodbye to him, gives him toys and blindfolded, and behind the screen, she stabs herself with a dagger. She still has enough strength to return to the child and hug him for the last time. Pinkerton's voice calls her, the lieutenant and consul enter the room. Chio-Cio-san, dying, with a weak gesture shows them at his son.
In the two-act version, the opera, which was conducted by Cleofonte Campanini during the premiere of La Scala, failed. With the change of some details, especially in the first act, and with the separation of two acts into three parts (that is, almost three acts), the opera was a triumphal success at the Grande Theater in Brescia after about three months. In 1907, Ricordi published the final version. Consciously exotic, like the future Turandot, the tragedy of a naive Japanese woman is marked by cunning, sadism, predatory cruelty under the guise of civilization, in which it is not easy to recognize barbarism disguised as culture. A Westerner turns out to be a barbarian, and a genuine woman is embodied by a fragile woman who, outwardly, seems, on the contrary, personifying a primitive culture, full of superstition and excessive aesthetics. She feels the need to depart from this culture in order to find refuge in the arms of her savior, who has come from the world of progress and realism. This belief of the heroine, which is based on deception, leads to the closest connection of Western music of the late XIX century (popular and scholar, from the US anthem to Wagner's Tristan, to Massenet and reminiscences from Bohemia and Tosca) with echoes of Japanese music, different pentatonic scales.
Immediately at the beginning, the nervous fugato of imitation of the 18th century turns into an image of the conversations of guests by means of Japanese music, and we begin to distinguish the colors of typical instrumentation, ringing and airy. In addition, the use of a modality dating back to Mussorgsky’s “Boris” and, in general, to the discoveries of the “Mighty Handful” seems to build a bridge between these two musical hemispheres. In general, the contradiction between the two types of mentality tends to be resolved, especially in the image of the main character (this time a real heroine), who burned her wings in an absurd attempt to prevent a conflict between the two worlds. The plot of the opera is not new (see Delibes's Lakme), but Puccini takes it to bewildering limits, so that it becomes a symbol, although by no means ethereal: we have before us the consequences of the loss and abuse of virginity.
Butterfly really appears in the first act, like a creature brought on the wings of sounds, untouched, barely born and already desired. The "indifferent" conversation between the two Americans, meanwhile, had sacrificed it even earlier, especially, of course, Pinkerton's cynicism; Sharples, as we know, does not get to this point and is trying, on the contrary, to save the dignity of the Yankee adventurer. The crowd of relatives and friends Butterfly invited to the wedding ceremony enlivens the scene full of movement, which Puccini directs with a confident hand: this is an amazing example of a collective performance with a cute, pedantic expression of exotic features. The duo of the newlyweds, on the contrary, are the most European and sugary, although following very masterful, well-tuned schemes, very well-orchestrated, marked by various great ideas, full of rustling foliage and aromas, but at the same time so long that it unwittingly creates an impression that then completely confirmed - Pinkerton insincerity.
The second act belongs entirely to Cio-Cio-san: the heroine walks endlessly (depicted by changed, more muffled orchestral colors) in suspense, gritted teeth, with a smile on her face, experiencing anxiety, languid, breathtaking doubts, violent delight (as in the well-known aria “On a clear day, welcome”), expressing the childish-ingenuous and indestructible, up to self-denial, hope. Lullaby, protecting the baby’s sleep and vigil of the mother, choral singing with closed mouth, creates a gentle, miraculous image of a woman. With the same meekness and gullibility, Butterfly became a mother. When it turns out that this credulity is trampled upon and betrayed, the insult to the mother’s feelings and the deprivation of her son shock the audience’s consciousness.
The excitement erupts in one gesture, similar to a cinematic frame, as in the death scene of Manon. There is something uterine in him: Puccini’s notorious short breath here conveys uterine cries, which, despite all the heroine’s dignity and chastity, cannot hide behind a screen like she herself was at the time of suicide. We are talking about a butterfly stroke gesture when she squeezes her son seven times in her arms, as if seven times calling her whole heart. After the first section of the last arioso, painful, sharp, recitative, reflecting the close connection with the ritual of the ancestors, the young woman rushes to the melody of the western warehouse, as if holding out her hands to protect her child, going west, where the sun sets. When on the last syllables of the word “abbandono” (“I leave”) the melody passes into the tonic of the B minor and from here begins its terrible flight to the dominant, accompanied by heavy blows of the gong on a very simple, archaic and impressive arpeggio pattern - the melody squeezed out by the limits of tonality spills into a stream of tremendous force breaking on this terrible "gioca, gioca" ("play, play"), followed by a gloomy trumpet. The orchestra meets the father’s appearance with a trumpet and trombone motif, the theme of a house on a hill, so to speak, goes back to the aria “On a clear day, welcome”; Pinkerton appears too late. Here the farewell theme sounds again, solidotron, triumphant, woeful, truly bloody, illuminating the suicide with the harsh light of martyrdom. The last chord is actually a contemptuous slap in the face of a vile civilization.
G. Marquezi
Discography: CD - Decca. Conductor Karayan, Butterfly (Freni), Pinkerton (Pavarotti), Sharples (Cairns), Suzuki (Ludwig).
CD - EMI. Conductor Barbirolli, Butterfly (Scotto), Pinkerton (Bergonzi), Sharples (Panerai), Suzuki (Di Stasio).
CD - EMI. Conductor Gavazzeni, Butterfly (Los Angeles), Pinkerton (Di Stefano), Sharples (Gobbi), Suzuki (Canals).
libretto
Madame Butterfly (ital. Madama Butterfly) - opera, Japanese tragedy in two acts and three parts; the libretto, at the request of Puccini, was written by Luigi Illiki (1859-1919) and Giuseppe Giacosi (1847-1906) based on the drama by David Belasco's "Geisha", written based on the journal story of the same name by John Luther Long. First production: Milan, La Scala Theater, February 17, 1904; as amended: Brescia, Grande Theater, May 28, 1904.
Characters
- madame Butterfly (Cio-Cio-san, soprano)
- Suzuki (mezzo-soprano)
- Kat Pinkerton (mezzo-soprano)
- Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (tenor)
- Sharples (baritone)
- Goro (tenor)
- prince Yamadori (tenor)
- uncle bonza (bass)
- Yakuside (baritone)
- commissioner (bass)
- registry Officer (bass)
- mother Chio-Cio-san (mezzo-soprano)
- aunt (mezzo-soprano)
- cousin (soprano)
- Dolore (boy; mimic role)
Relatives, friends, girlfriends, servants of Cio-Cio-san.
Libretto
Action one
Japanese house on one of the hills near Nagasaki. Goro shows him to the US Navy lieutenant Pinkerton, who is going to live here with the young geisha Chio-Chio-san: their marriage according to the Japanese ritual is due to take place soon. The American consul Sharpless appears, to whom Pinkerton sets out his frivolous views on life, in particular, on marriage with a Japanese woman, leaving him the opportunity to eventually marry an American. But in the distance, the voices of Cio-Cio-san and her friends are heard. Cio-Cio-san, nicknamed Butterfly, talks about his life: her father was a noble samurai, but poverty made the girl become a geisha. She is ready to renounce her religion, if Pinkerton wants it. When the wedding ceremony ends, a fun feast begins, which interrupts the arrival of an angry Uncle Butterfly - a bonze. He learned about the niece's intentions to convert to Christianity and curses her along with other relatives. Pinkerton drives everyone away and takes his wife home.
Action two
Part one
Three years have passed. Butterfly in his house is waiting for Pinkerton to return and convinces the maid of Suzuki that he will return soon. Sharpless and Goro enter: there is a letter in the consul’s hands in which Pinkerton asks him to inform Butterfly that he was married to an American. Sharples does not dare to say anything about this to a young woman. He advises her to accept the offer of Prince Yamadori. Butterfly shows them his little son: he is waiting for his father. A cannon shot is heard announcing that an American ship has arrived at the port. Butterfly is filled with joy, she decorates the house with flowers and waits for Pinkerton. The night is coming. Suzuki falls asleep near the child, Butterfly is awake.
Part two
It is getting light. Butterfly, tired of a sleepless night, lay down to rest. At that moment, Pinkerton, his wife, Kat, and the consul enter the house: the lieutenant hopes that his ex-lover will give him the child. After learning from Suzuki how she was waiting for him, he can not restrain his excitement. Butterfly on Kat's face and from the words of the consul guesses about everything. She will give her son only to her father in half an hour. When everyone leaves, she curtains the room and prepares for death. Suzuki pushes the boy into the room, hoping to avert his mother from terrible intent. The young woman tenderly says goodbye to him, gives him toys and blindfolded, and behind the screen, she stabs herself with a dagger. She still has enough strength to return to the child and hug him for the last time. Pinkerton's voice calls her, the lieutenant and consul enter the room. Chio-Cio-san, dying, with a weak gesture shows them at his son.
Staging
In the two-act version, the opera, which was conducted by Cleofonte Campanini during the premiere of La Scala, failed.
With the change of some details, especially in the first act, and with the separation of two acts into three parts (that is, almost three acts), the opera was a triumphal success at the Grande Theater in Brescia after about three months.
Music
Opera (in the Russian version - Chio-Cio-san) - a lyrical drama, fully and multifaceted revealing the image of the main character. The alternation of singing cantilean arias and expressive recitations, united into wide scenes, which is generally characteristic of Puccini's opera style, is especially characteristic of Cio-Cio-san. The music of the opera uses several authentic Japanese tunes, organically woven into the musical fabric.
First act opens with an energetic intro. Pinkerton Aria The Yankee Wanderer (Dovunque al mondo il yankee vagabondo,; marked by courageous, strong-willed traits. Lyric melody of Arioso Pinkerton Caprice il Passion (Amore o grillo) sounds fervently and enthusiastically. Arioso of Chio-Cio-san is permeated with love "It is not without reason that he is calling me here. The large ensemble with the choir conveys the contrasting feelings of the participants: Sharpless’s fears and Pinkerton’s declaration of love, admiration or disappointment of the others. Humility and humility sound in Arioso Chio-Cio-san “Is it easy to stay poor for someone who was rich?” ("Nessuno si confessa mai nato in poverta"), “Yes, before your fate”.
The nervous fugato, in imitation of the 18th century, turns into an image of the conversations of guests by means of Japanese music, and we begin to distinguish between the colors of a typical instrument, ringing and airy. The crowd of relatives and friends Butterfly invited to the wedding ceremony enlivens the scene full of movement, which Puccini directs with a confident hand: this is an amazing example of a collective performance with a cute, pedantic expression of exotic features. In general, the contradiction between the two types of mentality tends to be resolved, especially in the image of the main character.
With the advent of bonza, the music takes on the shade of an ominous threat. Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-san breathe languid bliss “Ah, what an evening!”, “I still admire your eyes” (“Viene la sera ...”, “Bimba dagli occhi pieni d’amore”). The newlyweds duet sounds very European, follows masterful, well-tuned schemes, very well-orchestrated, marked by various great ideas, full of rustle of foliage and aromas, but at the same time so long that it unwittingly creates an impression, which is then fully confirmed - Pinkerton's insincerity.
Start the first picture of the second act full of anxiety and anxiety. Woefully agitated mournful music accompanies the dialogue Butterfly and Suzuki. Aria Butterfly Fulfilled Passion Dream “On a clear day, welcome” (“Un bel di, vedremo”). Sad appeal to my son “What will I have to pick you up” replaced by sincere arioso “Let the flowers be your petals” (“Scuoti la fronda”). A lullaby that protects the baby’s sleep and mother’s vigil, choral singing with her mouth closed creates a gentle, miraculous image of a woman, transmits the silence of the night.
Orchestral introduction to second picture of the second act with its drama anticipates the fatal denouement. The next bright and calm orchestral episode depicts the sunrise. Terzet’s music captures Sharples’s perseverance, Suzuki’s fright and despair, Pinkerton’s remorse. Arioso Pinkerton is sad “Goodbye, my peaceful haven” (Addio, fiorito asil). The following scene is saturated with a sense of alertness and anxious expectation. After the first section of the last arioso Butterfly “And I, I go far”imbued with calm determination, reflecting a close connection with the ritual of the ancestors, the young woman rushes to the melody of the western warehouse, as if holding out her hands to protect her child. When on the last syllables of the word “Abbandono” (“leaving”) the melody passes into the tonic of the B minor and from here begins its terrible flight to the dominant, accompanied by heavy blows of the gong in a very simple, archaic and impressive arpeggio pattern - the melody squeezed by the limits of tonality pours into a stream of tremendous force, breaking into that terrible "Gioca, gioca" ("play, play")followed by a grim pipe. The orchestra meets the father’s appearance with a trumpet and trombone motif - the theme of the house on the hill sounds.
References
- Description of the opera Madame Butterfly, audio recording performed by Maria Callas
- Libretto by L. Illiki and J. Giacosa (Italian)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
After the premiere of the opera, held in 1900, Giacomo Puccini thought about the plot for the new opera. The composer considered many options - from “Tartare from Tarascon” by A. Dode to “Notes from the Dead House” by F. M. Dostoevsky, but ultimately the choice fell on the play of the American playwright D. Belasco “Geisha”, which was a revision of the novel by J. Long .
As for previous operas by G. Puccini, the libretto for the work, called “Madame Butterfly,” was written by Luigi Illika and Giuseppe Giacosa. The composer demanded that the librettists limit the action, urging them to nail the audience to the place - and this is contrary to the fact that the events of the opera stretch for three years, at the beginning of the production the main character is fifteen, and in the final eighteen years.
The plot of “Madame Butterfly” echoes in some ways: this is also a domestic drama, revealing the tragedy of a broken hope for happiness and love. But if the fate was described in several characters who are equally dear to the author, but Madame Butterfly is the drama of one young heroine. Other characters make up her environment, which is divided into two “worlds” - both of which are hostile to Chio-chio-san: on the one hand, fanaticism and prejudice of compatriots, on the other, the cynicism of Western civilization.
The opera Madame Butterfly takes place in Japan, its central character is Japanese, and this is fully reflected in the musical language. In this, J. Puccini was helped by the wife of the Japanese ambassador to Italy, who introduced the composer to the music of her homeland. The author introduced Japanese percussion instruments to the orchestra, used seven authentic Japanese folk songs, and many melodies in the work are based on pentatonic. Creates Japanese flavor and airy instrumentation. On the other “pole” of the opera is the music of a typical western warehouse, and there were some quotes here too: Pinkerton’s aria in the first act (“The Yankee Wanderer”) is framed by the melody of the US anthem. The doomed main character rushes between these two musical “worlds” - for example, in the first act of the Japanese-style reception scene, the European-style duo Chio-chio-san and Pinkerton are contrasted. Particularly dramatic is the juxtaposition in the second act, which leads directly to the tragic denouement: the “aria of despair” that follows the conversation with the consul is based on the pentatonic scale, and in the last arioso, the melody of the European warehouse sounds.
In "Madame Butterfly" J. Puccini remained faithful to his fundamental principle: "the basis of the opera is vocals." However, this installation did not prevent the composer from creating magnificent symphonic episodes - an introduction in the form of a four-part fugato, an intermission between the second-stage pictures, an orchestral conclusion melodically connected with an “aria of despair”.
The creation of "Madame Butterfly" took a lot of time. G. Puccini was very busy at that time - his operas were staged in various cities, including outside of Italy, and he had to attend rehearsals. In addition, he had a new hobby - driving a car, which led to an accident and a leg injury - which also did not contribute to the speedy completion of the score ... Despite all these obstacles, the opera was completed in 1903, and in 1904 the work was first presented to the public in Milan.
During the rehearsals, no one doubted the success awaiting the opera, but the expectations of the author and performers did not materialize. At first, the audience remained completely silent (in Italy this is already a manifestation of disapproval), then angry cries began - “This is from Bohemia!” - and the demands of “something new”, and finally the demanding audience completely gave vent to emotions - the audience whistled, mumbled, crowed and expressed their indignation in other ways. Critics met the opera no more favorably.
It is difficult to say what became the cause of such a crushing fiasco, "Madame Butterfly." Definitely it was not the performers: Cio-Cio-san was sung by the famous Rosina Storkio, Pinkerton by Giovanni Zenatello, and Sharplesa by Giuseppe de Luca, who was later called the "brightest star of the Golden Age" Metropolitan Opera "... Perhaps the audience did not like the plot, which had little action - as opposed to dramatic, and maybe booing provoked by the ill-wishers of the composer. J. Puccini was very upset by the failure of his opera - he canceled the second performance, having paid a very significant penalty for it, and took the score. Subsequently, he made a number of changes to the opera - in particular, divided the long and somewhat protracted second action into two, making the opera three-act.
As such, the opera was staged in Brescia three and a half months after the Milan premiere. Conducted. This time the success was triumphant: some numbers were bisected, and each time the composer was called to bow. “Never again did Madame Butterfly fail,” notes the composer’s biographer J. Marek.
Musical Seasons
Opera in three acts. Libretto by L. Illika and D. Giacosa in the drama of D. Belasco and D.L. Long.
Actors: Chio-Cio-San soprano; Suzuki - mezzo-soprano; Pinkerton - lieutenant of the American Navy - tenor; Kat, Pinkerton's wife is a soprano; Prince Yamadori - tenor; Sharpless, American Consul Baritone; Goro, broker-swat - tenor; Bonza, Uncle Cio Cio San Bass; Commissar - Baritone; The officer is a tenor; relatives, friends, girlfriends and servants of Cio-Cio-San.
The action takes place in the vicinity of Nagasaki in the XX century.
First action
A hillside in the vicinity of the Japanese port of Nagasaki ... In the foreground - a Japanese house with a porch, under the windows - cherry blossoms ...
The house is being inspected by the United States seaman-opiper, Franklin Benjamin Pinkerton. A helpful real estate and people trader, Goro, rents a house for him, immediately representing Japanese servants who are “attached” to the premises for the same price.
Soon, Chio-Cio-San will appear in the house, or, as Pinkerton calls her, Butterfly, which Goro sold to an American sailor for 100 yen.
Guest arrives: Sharpless, US Consul in Nagasaki. His conscience and sense of responsibility for the actions committed are still alive in him; he warns Pinkerton that this “temporary marriage” is a dangerous and nasty game that could cost the life of Cio-Cio-San.
The self-confident lieutenant escapes the consul's fears only with a shrug.
Friends drink wine. Empty and refill glasses. Pinkerton is already making a toast to the health of another girl whom he will marry in America ... That marriage will no longer be just a colonial joke, but a real, sacred bond between two equal white people.
Finally, comes, accompanied by friends, Cio-Cio-San. Girls kneel before the groom, and the consul asks the bride a few questions.
Then officials and relatives appear. Having met each other, exchanging a few words, the guests disperse in the garden, Pinkerton and Butterfly can finally talk in private. Cio-Cio-San lays out his gizmos - a silk scarf, a belt, a buckle, a mirror, a vase for paints and a samurai dagger, which her father had once committed suicide. Then, a young “toy wife” confesses to Pinkerton that for her sake she decided to abandon the religion of her ancestors and adopt Christianity.
The wedding ceremony begins. At the height of the celebration, Bonza arrives, Uncle Butterfly. He curses the apostate niece. A young woman falls, broken by the weight of the curse.
Pinkerton chases away all relatives, and soon a smile replaces the tears of a young woman.
A song is heard from the house: Suzuki's evening prayer.
Cio-Cio-San puts on his white night hood and says quietly:
We were left alone ... the world is so far away.
Pinkerton hugs Butterfly with fervor.
Action two
Three years have passed.
The interior of the Butterfly house. Suzuki prays in front of the Buddha statue. She begs the ancient god to help Cio-Cio-San, constantly crying since Pinkerton left.
While Suzuki is praying, Cio-Cio-San lies motionless, but then a complaint bursts from her chest:
All in vain! There is no good god in Japan! ..
Suzuki is carefully trying to convince her mistress that once he leaves, the foreigner will never return. But Cio-Cio-San passionately defends his love. After all, she remembers his every word:
"When the roses bloom and the swallows begin to twist their nests, I will return to you."
And the imagination of a woman in love is drawn a picture of her husband's return. Pinkerton’s slender figure reappears on the road, and the garden with cherry blossoms is again filled with happiness and sunshine.
A consul arrives at Butterfly, accompanied by Goro.
Then Prince Yamadori appears, wishing to marry the abandoned Chio-Cio-San. The young woman, however, proudly refers to American laws: she is the wife of Lieutenant Pinkerton, she can not be discarded as a bored toy.
The American consul came with sad news. He wants to tell Cio-Cio-San that Pinkerton is married. He even begins to read a letter from him, but is unable to utter tragic words; he only advises the unfortunate woman to obey Goro and marry Prince Yamadori.
In response, Cio-Cio-San takes out his little son. Pinkerton's son is a blond boy with an angelic smile.
What is the boy’s name? the consul asks.
The answer is quiet, but full of dignity:
Now his name is Sorrow, but if his father returns, they will call him Happy.
The consul leaves with nothing, and Goro, who called his son Butterfly illegal and “shameful,” Cio-Cio-San expels from the house.
A cannon shot is heard in the distance - an American ship enters the port, on the armored board of which there is an inscription - "Abraham Lincoln" - this is the ship on which Pinkerton is serving!
Chio-Cio-San and Suzuki excitedly decorate the house with flowers and cling to the window; Suzuki, Chio-Cio-San and a blond boy expect a master, husband, father ...
Action Three
The sun rises ...
Cio-Cio-San is still standing by the window; faith and hope have not left her ...
Pinkerton must come!
The room is filled with morning light.
Butterfly takes the sleeping child to the next room; Pinkerton, his American wife Kat, and Consul Sharples appear in the garden.
Devotee Suzuki, barely holding back her tears, tells Pinkerton that Chio-Cio-San and the boy have been waiting for him all night.
Only men enter the house. A white woman, Kat, is walking in the garden among the flowers. Suzuki fearfully asks:
Who is this woman?
Sharples replies:
Pinkerton's wife.
And he continues: they came to take with them the son of Cio-Cio-San.
Suzuki's faithful servant leaves the room, completely shattered.
Pinkerton now realizes how frivolously he behaved. Touched, in tears, he says goodbye to the house in which he spent unforgettable hours of love.
As soon as Pinkerton leaves, Suzuki and Kat enter the room. Suzuki promises to persuade Chio-Cio-San to give his son to his father and his white wife. She only asks Kat to leave immediately, so as not to meet her mistress.
But on the threshold, Cio-Cio-San suddenly appears. She thought Pinkerton came, and saw a white woman. There is no need for explanation: the heart of a loving Japanese woman feels more than what the stern face of the consul and the frightened, confused words of Suzuki say. For a second she was horrified: her husband might have died ... but she already knows that this is not true; Pinkerton died only for her. She takes a hit heroically.
When asked by Kat whether she would give her son, Cio-Cio-San replies proudly: "I will not give my son to another, let her father come for him."
The Americans are leaving. Cio-Cio-San expels Suzuki from the room.
She bows a traditional bow before an ancient Buddha statue and takes out a dagger, which her father had once killed himself. As if for edification, Chio-Cio-San reads aloud the lines etched on the blade:
Die with honor
if you can’t live with honor ...
At this moment, Suzuki sends his son to Chio-Chio-San, not wanting to leave her alone. The dagger falls from the hands of the mother. She hugs her child again, saying goodbye to him.
Then he sends the boy to the garden. With a dagger in her hand, she disappears behind a screen ...
Tense, painful silence ...
The sound of a falling dagger.
Butterfly, Butterfly!
Cio-Cio-San struggles out of the screen and falls dead.
The plot basis of the famous opera Madame Butterfly, or Chio-Cio-San by G. Puccini was the novel by the American writer John L. Long, reworked by D. Belasco into the play. However, the literary heroes - the Japanese girl Chio-Cio-San and the American lieutenant of the Navy Pinkerton - had real prototypes. The fact is that in the second half of the XIX century. in Japan they sold temporary wives. It was quite common such a thing as temporary marriages of foreigners with local girls. For a certain amount, you could buy a wife for your time in Japan.
A 15-year-old Japanese woman, whose marriage was only entertainment for an American officer, fell in love with him and even accepted his faith. Because of this, her family turned away from her. The American soon returned to his homeland and married another woman. And the Japanese woman bore him a son and continued to wait for his return. Three years later he returned with his new wife to pick up his son. As a result, Cio-Cio-San committed suicide. This is a summary of the story that has become a literary plot. But in real life there were many such stories.
The practice of selling temporary wives appeared at a time when the Russian fleet was based in Vladivostok and regularly wintered in Nagasaki. During their stay in Japan, many Russian officers bought local girls for cohabitation. They signed a contract for a period of one month to several years, according to which they could use the services of temporary wives for a monthly fee of 10-15 dollars. The duties of men included providing girls with housing, food, and hired servants. They could break the marriage at any time.
Foreigners called their wives “musume” - from the Japanese “girl”, “daughter”. As a rule, these were very young girls - 13-15 years old. Often, poor Japanese artisans and peasants themselves sold their daughters to foreigners, because these girls had no other way to earn a dowry. They received money and subsequently married local men.
Musume were neither geishas nor prostitutes. Unlike geishas, \u200b\u200bthe responsibilities of temporary wives really included intimate services, but these girls did not sell themselves for money repeatedly and to different men - having earned a sufficient amount, they became respectable wives of the Japanese. The services of musume were used by many wealthy and noble Russians. Even the grand dukes from the Romanov dynasty bought temporary wives.
Merchant and military vessels came to Nagasaki not only from Russia. In 1885, the French navigator and writer Pierre Loti arrived in Japan and stayed there for two months. About two years later, he wrote about Madame Chrysanthemum about his temporary wife O-kiku-san. The action of Puccini's opera takes place at the same time and in the same place - Nagasaki, the end of the XIX century. D. L. Long describes the same events in his short story.
