About the work
Le Papillon is a two-act ballet-pantomime with music by Jacques Offenbach, a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and choreography by Marie Taglioni. It premiered on 26 November 1860 at the Paris Opéra and is catalogued as IJO 62 among Offenbach's works.
Plot
The fairy Hamza keeps the abducted emir's daughter Farfalla captive as her maid. When the young Prince Djalma kisses her, an enraged Hamza turns Farfalla into a butterfly. Only after a series of transformations and complications is Farfalla freed, Hamza's magic wand destroyed, and the lovers united.
Cultural significance
The 'Valse des fleurs' (No. 7) from the score was published separately as a piano piece and remained known independently of the stage work. The autograph score is now held at the Morgan Library in New York.