Who wrote Madama Butterfly?

• A. Verdi
• B. Puccini
• C. Wagner
• D. Berg

Answer: (B)

Madama Butterfly is a staple of Puccini’s operatic repertoire, showcasing his gift for memorable, expressive melodies and sharply drawn character moments. Puccini crafted the music and dramatic arc of the work, which follows a young Japanese geisha and the consequences of a fleeting alliance with a visiting American officer. The opera premiered in Milan in 1904 and was later revised in 1907 to tighten the pacing and heighten the dramatic impact, further cementing Puccini’s role as the composer behind this title. By contrast, Verdi is known for other celebrated operas such as Aida and Rigoletto; Wagner for expansive, mythic works like The Ring Cycle and Tristan und Isolde; Berg for the atonal drama of Wozzeck. So the composer most closely associated with Madama Butterfly is Puccini.