48. Fuga

Magri 1974 gives a detailed description of the music and dates this fugue to 1883, perhaps because he considers it to be Puccini’s best in the genre from his student years. Indeed, Magri 1999 gives specific stylistic reasons for his dating. The instrumental writing and formal treatment are nonetheless close to those of the Fughe reali 36 and 37. The first two bars of the theme show a striking resemblance to bars 2-4 of the (minor key) theme of the fugato that opens Madama Butterfly (74).