I manoscritti della Madama Butterfly nell’archivio dell'Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, in Madama Butterlfy, edited by S. Camerini, Bologna, Nuova Alfa Editoriale 1996, pp.57-90; by the occasion of the exhibition Butterfly. I manoscritti ritrovati at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (19-31 March 1996).

Established by Count Vincenzo Maria Carrati in 1666, the Accademia  Filarmonica in Bologna immediately became a reference point in the town’s musical life and soon after spread its influence all over Europe. Thanks to the prestige of the musicians who in a more and more increasing number were admitted to it, the Accademia Filarmonica enjoyed its maximum splendour in the 18th century; then, in the course of the following centuries it maintained its prestige , as testified by the relevance of the musical texts kept in the Archives. Among these, it is worth while mentioning several manuscripts from Giacomo Puccini’s ancestors, renowned composers from Lucca.

The presence of one member of the Puccini family in Bologna dates back to the first half of the 18th century, when Giacomo the Elder (1712-1781) went to study with Padre Martini, attracted by the fame of the Accademia Filarmonica: there he became a member in 1743. In 1771, Giacomo’s son Antonio (1747-1832), Giacomo Puccini’s grandfather,  underwent the demanding admission exam to the Accademia. At the end of 1700s, Antonio’s son, Domenico (1771-1815) was in Bologna, while Giacomo’s father Michele (1813-1864) was admitted to the Accademia in 1836; Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was finally proclaimed member of the Accademia Filarmonica in 1899.

The rich handwritten documentation by Giacomo Puccini in the Archives of the Filarmonica stands out as an important chapter in the historical link between the Puccini family and the secular institution in Bologna. The Puccini’s manuscripts are kept in a black folder , closed with strings and bearing the label “Documenti pucciniani”;

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