PUCCINI
Giacomo Puccini was born at Lucca, 22nd June, 1858, and belongs to a family of well-known musicians. He studied first at Lucca, and afterwards at Milan Conservatoire, his chief teacher being Ponchielli. His first opera, Le Villi, was produced at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 31st May, 1884, with such success that it was afterwards revised and enlarged, and produced at La Scala, 24th January, 1885. His next opera, Edgar, was produced at La Scala, 1889. Manon Lescaut, produced at the Teatro Regio, Turin, showed considerable development; and with the production of La Bohème (Teatro Regio, Turin, 1896), he was placed at once in the first rank of modern composers. His next opera, Tosca (1900), met with equal success. Madame Butterfly (La Scala, Milan, 1904) is undoubtedly the finest work Puccini has yet produced; yet when first given, for some unaccountable reason, it was not well received. But on its second appearance at Brescia, it was received with the greatest applause, and has also been enthusiastically welcomed wherever it has been produced, being now, together with La Bohème, a universal European favourite. His American opera, The Girl of the Golden West, was first produced in New York during 1911, and proved a great success.