La Boheme

La Bohème is one of the most performed of Puccini’s operas, and one of what are called “the big-three”- Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La Bohème. These operas quickly established themselves in the operatic repertoire and have never left (DiGaetani 103). Puccini was a lyrical genius and he composed his music to fit the exact embodiment of the character and situation at hand. We are constantly reminded of the two ‘cardinal features’ of his musical language. These are richness of melody and attention to orchestral detail (Groos & Parker 86). These features are easily demonstrated by looking at selected musical excerpts from La Bohème.
Puccini’s Bohème was based on the novel Scenes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Mürger. In March of 1893, after Puccini’s return from Turin after the premiere of Manon Lescaut, Puccini encountered his friend and fellow composer Leoncavallo. When Puccini mentioned that he was working on an opera based on Mürger’s novel Leoncavallo be...