lanterns on the floor flickered out one by one and the soft violins
crooned a melody to the arpeggios of a harp.

The season at the Herald Square Theatre was saved. Some time later,
when Mr. Belasco accompanied Mr. Charles Frohman to London to put on
"Zaza" at the Garrick Theatre, he took "Madame Butterfly" with him and
staged it at the Duke of York's Theatre, hard by. On the first night of
"Madame Butterfly" Mr. Frohman was at the latter playhouse, Mr. Belasco
at the former. The fall of the curtain on the little Japanese play was
followed by a scene of enthusiasm which endured so long that Mr.
Frohman had time to summon his colleague to take a curtain call. At a
stroke the pathetic play had made its fortune in London, and, as it
turned out, paved the way for a new and larger triumph for Mr. Long's
story. The musical critics of the London newspapers came to the house
and saw operatic possibilities in the drama. So did Mr. Francis
Nielson, at the time Covent Garden's stage manager, who sent word of
the discovery to Signor Puccini. The composer came from Milan, and
realized on the spot that the successor of "Tosca" had been found.
Signori Illica and Giacosa, librettists in ordinary to Ricordi & Co.,
took the work of making the opera book in hand. Signor Illica's fancy
had roamed in the Land of Flowers before; he had written the libretto
for Mascagni's "Iris." The ephemeral life of Cho-Cho-San was over in a
few months, but by that time "Madama Butterfly," glorified by music,
had lifted her wings for a new flight in Milan.

It is an old story that many operas which are recognized as
masterpieces later, fail to find appreciation or approval when they are
first produced. "Madama Butterfly" made a fiasco when brought forward
at La Scala on February 17, 1904.

[Footnote: At this premiere Campanini was the conductor and the cast
was as follows: Butterfly, Storchio; Suzuki, Giaconia; Pinkerton,
Zenatello; Sharpless, De Luca; Goro, Pini-Corsi; Bonzo, Venturini;
Yakuside, Wulmann. At the first performance in London, on July 10,
1905, at Covent Garden, the cast was: Butterfly, Destinn; Suzuki,
Lejeune; Pinkerton, Caruso; Sharpless, Scotti; Goro, Dufriche; Bonzo,
Cotreuil; Yakuside, Rossi. Conductor, Campanini. After the revision it
was produced at Brescia on May 28, 1904, with Zenatello, of the
original cast, Krusceniski as Butterfly, and Bellati as Sharpless. The
first American performances were in the English version, made by Mr