Sources
83. La Rondine

83.B.2

4 pages, 2° with 28 staves, 31 bars.
On the last page, Puccini signed the manuscript and dated it: “Torre del Lago / 24. giugno 1917.”

This is a passage in Act 1 (fig. 50-1/+29); the pages, numbered 174-77, presumably were removed from 83.B.1.

83.B.3

4 pages, 2° with 28 staves, 28 bars.
The first page bears the autograph heading: “Frammento / duettino finale I° / G Puccini”. This is another passage in Act 1 (fig. 52+16 – fig. 53+14); the pages numbered 186-89 presumably were removed from 83.B.1.

Puccini sent the two fragments 83.B.2 and 83.B.3, rather arbitrarily taken out of context, to the “ Ill[ustrissimo Sig[nor] Bibliotecario del Liceo Musicale” in Bologna, and obviously both on 24 June 1917, according to the date in 83.B.2. This was three months after the first performance of the opera and just a few days after his return from its first Italian performance in Bologna, where perhaps he had promised the autograph pages to the addressee as a souvenir. Both fragments are very neatly written, but certainly were not made specifically as presentation copies. Therefore, they may have belonged to an autograph fair copy of the full score, which probably served as the model for 83.E.1a.

83.B.4

A copyist’s score of the complete piano-vocal score (in the version of 83.E.1) with autograph corrections, consisting of 121 (Act I), 139 (Act 2), and 99 pages (Act 3), 2° with 14 staves, and the supplement of 18 pages for the transposition of the ensemble in the second act, “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” (see 83.E.1).

This was very probably the model for the engraving of 83.E.1.
For the most part, the corrections concern marks of expression. There are also a few changes in vocal parts and in the text, but not all of them were implemented in 83.E.1. There is only one more important difference in comparison with 83.E.1:

Act 1:

It is interesting too that Puccini substituted the name of “Berenice” for that of “Monna Vanna” in Prunier’s recitation of the names of famous women in literature in Act 1 (fig. 35+7/8).

83.B.5

1 leaf from the same copyist’s piano-vocal score as 83.B.4, with autograph corrections of the vocal parts (Act 1, fig. 54+8/13).

83.D.2

83.E.1a

La Rondine. Partitura. [Without title page].
Lithographed reproduction of a copyist’s handwriting.
Copyright 1917.
Sonzogno, Milan, 1917.
Without PN, 413 or 422 + XVI pages respectively, 2°.

The 16 pages with Roman numerals contain the same transposition as the supplement in 83.E.1.
The copies of D-B and A-Wn have the stamped indication “1^a Edizione” at the beginning of Acts 1 and 3. Those stamps are missing in the US copies which therefore are probably older. Furthermore, the pagination of Act 3 in the US-Wc  copy is 295-413, but in the copies of A-Wn and D-B these pages are numbered 295-422, even though all of those scores are musically completely identical. So, strangely enough, this act must have been copied twice.
The publisher Edwin F. Kalmus (Boca Raton, Florida), published a photographic reproduction of a copy of the full score with 422 + XVI pages, without year and without PN, but with the catalogue number A7853. The orchestra parts are also available from that publisher for sale or rental.

83.E.1b

Second German edition:
La Rondine. Die Schwalbe. Lyrische Komödie in 3 Akten von Dr. A. M. Willner, Heinz Reichert, Giuseppe Adami. Rückübertragung aus dem Italienischen von R. St. Hoffmann. Copyright 1917, New German version Copyright 1929.
Eibenschütz & Berté, Vienna/Leipzig, and Universal Edition, Vienna, 1929.
PN U.E.9653 E.& B.231, 208 pages, 4°.

German and Italian text.

Musically, the edition is completely identical with 83.E.1.
The first German edition (see 83.E.2b) corresponds to Puccini’s second version of the opera, which he negated immediately after the first performance sung in German (see NOTES). Even though there was a third and definitive Italian version (see 83.E.3), after Puccini’s death his Austrian publishers reverted to the first version of the score. Since the opera failed to become popular, Eibenschütz & Berté, as well as Sonzogno, obviously were not willing to incur the expense of a genuine new edition.

83.E.1c

First English edition:
La Rondine — The Swallow. Lyrical comedy in 3 acts ... English version by Robert Hess. Copyright 1917, Copyright renewed 1945, English Version by Robert Hess Copyright 1968. Sonzogno, Milan, and Universal Edition, Vienna, 1968.
PN Universal Edition 9653 E and Casa Musicale Sonzogno 2022 [from the second page of music, the PN is U.E. 9653 E. & B. 231], 208 pages, 4°.

English and Italian text.

Apart from the text, this edition was printed from the plates of 83.E.1b. This is the only edition of the opera that is currently being issued as sales copies of the piano-vocal score.

GB-Ob owns a copy (Mus.22 c.803, registered 21 October 1970) in which the name of a different author of the English translation, D. Millar Craig, is pasted over Robert Hess’ name. The Craig translation was indeed used for a BBC radio transmission of the opera on 24 June 1929; a separate printed libretto of Craig’s translation also exists (copy in I-Lgp). The “English version” by Robert Hess from 1968 only consists in minimal revisions of the original translation. In some of Sonzogno’s present rental material, the copyright notice at the bottom of the first page of music reads as follows: “Copyright 1917 by Casa Musicale Sonzogno, Milan / Copyright renewed 1945 // English version by D. Millar Craig Copyright 1929 by Universal Edition / Copyright renewed 1957 /// Casa Musicale Sonzogno No. 2022 / Universal Edition No. 9653 E.” Therein, the English text has been removed by hand.

83.E.1d

La Rondine — The Swallow. [Full score without title page].
Reproduction of a copyist’s handwriting.
Copyright 1917, Copyright renewed 1945, English Version by Robert Hess Copyright 1969. Sonzogno, Milan, and Universal Edition, Vienna, 1969.
PN Universal Edition 9653 E and Casa Musicale Sonzogno 2022, 425 pages, 2°.

English and Italian text.

Apart from the insertion of the English text this edition is identical with 83.E.1a (minus the supplement of 16 pages).

83.E.2

Second Italian edition:
[Without title page].
Copyright 1917.
Sonzogno, Milan, 1919 (?).
PN 2022, 249 pages, 2°.
On the first page of music: “II. edizione.”

Since Puccini was ready with his revisions for the second version of the opera in the autumn of 1919, and since this edition of the piano-vocal score still bears the original copyright year (contrary to the German edition issued the following year, see 83.E.2b), this very rare second Italian edition could still have been produced in 1919. It seems doubtful that it ever was issued in sales copies, since no example of this score with a title page is known to exist. It may have been produced as preliminary working copies for the first Italian performance of this new version presented on 10 April 1920 in Palermo.

The edition has the following differences from 83.E.1:

1. In general
   The role of Prunier was altered from tenor to baritone, resulting in numerous changes in the vocal line throughout. Furthermore, Puccini apparently tried to give more brilliance to the voices (often by setting them higher and by changing the tessitura). There are minor variants in the marks of expression and in the distribution of text. Many passages, however, contain much more substantial changes in the text affecting the dramaturgy (see Hopkinson 1968, 38-39, and NOTES).
   
   
2. Major differences:
   
   Act 1:
   

   fig. 42+3 – fig. 43-10:	11 1/2 bars were replaced by the addition of a totally new entrance aria for Ruggero (51 bars adapted from 89).
   fig. 48+1/4:	Singing for Yvette, Bianca, and Suzy was added, while the orchestra remained unchanged.
   fig. 50+3/30:	New dialogue between Magda and Rambaldo, with the music for orchestra expanded as well (41 instead of 28 bars).
   fig. 55-18/6:	13 bars were cut in the duet of Lisette and Prunier.
   fig. 55+10:	Magda’s singing was deleted.
   fig. 56+5/10:	Magda’s singing was added, with the orchestra unchanged.

   
   
   Act 2:
   

   fig. 1-6/3:	4 bars were cut.
   fig. 5-16/13:	3 1/2 bars were cut.
   Before fig. 7:	9 bars were cut.
   From fig. 23+1:	6 1/2 bars of Lisette’s singing were added, while the orchestra remained unchanged.
   fig. 31-6/+3:	Continuation of the duet of Magda and Ruggero, while the interjections of the solo voices from the chorus were reduced.
   fig. 35-11/3:	9 bars were replaced by 2 different bars for the orchestra.
   fig. 35 – fig. 38:	“Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” (with changes in the text) is sung by Prunier alternating with Ruggero, instead of only by Ruggero; the chorus parts were deleted, and the entire piece was transposed to the key D flat instead of E flat major (i.e. the transposition from the supplement of the first version, see 83.E.1).
   From fig. 39:	Everything is one half tone higher (in G instead of G flat major).
   fig. 39+15 – fig. 40+15:	The chorus was deleted.
   fig. 41-6/+6:	Magda’s solo was transformed into a dialogue for Magda and Rambaldo, while the orchestra remained unchanged.
   After fig. 42+3:	18 bars for Rambaldo were added.
   fig. 44 to the end:	Everything is one half tone lower (in E flat instead of E major).

   
   
   Act 3:
   

   fig. 3 – fig. 4+16:	42 bars in the duet of Magda and Ruggero were cut.
   fig. 10+6/9:	4 bars were cut.
   fig. 12+4/5:	2 bars were cut.
   fig. 13+8 – fig. 17+4:	Everything was transposed one half tone higher.
   fig. 16+3/8:	Singing of Magda and Ruggero was added, but the orchestra remained unchanged.
   fig. 18-8/5:	4 bars were cut.
   fig. 18+3/8:	6 bars were cut.
   fig. 20+9/11:	Magda’s singing was added.
   fig. 20+13 – fig. 37:	Completely new trio for Magda, Lisette, and Prunier, partially using the existing music (167 bars instead of the original 386).
   fig. 38-2:	1 bar was cut.
   fig. 41 – fig. 42:	4 bars were cut.
   fig. 42 up to the end:	The distribution of the voices was completely changed, but the orchestra remained nearly unchanged and the following passages were cut: 8 bars before fig. 44, fig. 45-8/3, fig. 45+1/10.

83.E.2a

La Rondine. Partitura. [Without title page].
Reproduction of a copyist’s handwriting.
Copyright 1917.
Sonzogno, Milan, 1919 (?).
Without PN, 380 pages (+ 4 additional pages 104 a-d; 149 and the first bar on 150 were pasted over and made blank), 2°.
The upper left of the first pages of Act 1 and Act 3 is stamped “2a Edizione.”

Acts 1 and 2 in this score are copies of pages from 83.E.1a, in which the changes for the second version according to 83.E.2 have been made by pasting and inserting new pages. After that, the pages were numbered continuously, but since Act 3 required so many changes, all of it was newly written by a copyist (in agreement with 83.E.2).

83.E.2b

First German edition:
La Rondine (Die Schwalbe). Oper in drei Akten von Dr. A. M. Willner und Heinz Reichert. Musik von Giacomo Puccini.
Copyright 1920.
Eibenschütz & Berté, Vienna/Leipzig, and Sonzogno, Milan, 1920.
PN E.& B.231, 195 pages, 4°.

This edition, based on 83.E.2, was produced for the first performance of the opera sung in German on 9 October 1920 at the Vienna Volksoper. Musically, it substantially agrees with 83.E.2. Apart from some minor publisher’s errors, this edition also presents several substantial variants in the text, which is probably due to the original librettists’ independent German version. Furthermore, there is an optional cut of 28 bars indicated in Act 3 (fig. 9 – fig. 11+3).

83.E.3

Third Italian edition:
[Without title page].
Copyright 1917.
Sonzogno, Milan, 1921.
PN 2022, 275 pages, 4°.
The first page bears the indication: “III. edizione.”

This edition was obviously ready in October 1921, for on 5 November of that year Puccini sent two copies of it to Sybil Seligman (see Seligman 1938, 335-36). One of them with the autograph date “Nov. 21” is in GB-TWmacnutt.Note: *Another copy, formerly owned by Gilda Dalla Rizza, who created the role of Magda, is in the private collection of
Michael Kaye, Washington, DC.
The few known copies (see also Hopkinson 1968, 37-39) have no title pages and no indications for the staging at the beginning of each act.Note: *The cover of the GB-Ob copy bears the imprint: “Casa Musicale Sonzogno / Milano / 3.^a Edizione / La Rondine/ G. Puccini."  They are printed on paper of an inferior quality, which leads one to believe that these copies were produced as a type of perusal material for theatres (in a pre-publication state, using the plates of 83.E.1) without ever being published for public sale. Although said copy in GB-TWmacnutt does have a title page, a table of contents, and dramatic indications, they were taken from the first edition and were obviously specially bound into that copy, destined for Sybil Seligman.

In this “III. edizione”, Puccini revoked many of the changes he initiated in 83.E.2. In particular, he restored the role of Prunier from that of a baritone to a tenor part. However, he also retained several of the previous version’s smaller changes, e.g. some of the higher tessituras. Furthermore, he introduced the following more important new changes (compared to 83.E.1):

Act 1:

Act 2:

Act 3:

83.E.4

La Rondine. [Full score].
Revisione e orchestrazione delle parti mancanti del III atto nell’ultima versione (1921) a cura di Lorenzo Ferrero.
Sonzogno, Milan, 1994.
Without PN, 439 pages, 2°.

Available only on rental.

In this edition, Acts 1 and 2 are identical with 83.E.1d; Act 3 presents Puccini’s revisions for the “III. edizione” with Ferrero’s instrumentation.

The corresponding piano-vocal score (with Robert Hess’ singable English translations of the variants) is also available on rental from the publisher.

83.E.5

Critical edition:
La rondine, edited by Ditlev Rindom.
Ricordi, Milan, 2023.
PN 142106, xxx pages.