Puccini had hardly finished his work on 'Tosca' in 1900 and seen its first performances when a new potential opera subject attracted his attention during a theatre visit in London: the play staged was 'Madame Butterfly. Tragedy of a Japanese Woman'. At the beginning of 1904, the musical setting of this subject matter was completed - the work was a failure at the world premiere. Thereupon, Puccini revised it into a three-act version, and it was in this form that the opera about the unhappy Japanese woman began its triumphant progress.Apart from the Italian libretto and the common German translation, this edition contains introductory commentaries of Kurt Pahlen who also adds information on the compositional structure and context to the musical as well as external and internal dramatic action of the opera. A short synopsis and a brief outline of the genesis bring the work into relation with the composer's entire oeuvre and life, thus offering a comprehensive, richly illustrated introduction.