Poor butterfly – Free Jazz Lead Sheet
Ab Major – Raymond Hubbell 1916
'Poor Butterfly', composed by Raymond Hubbell in 1916 with lyrics by John L. Golden, is a popular song that became a lasting jazz standard. Inspired by Puccini's Madama Butterfly, it remains part of the jazz repertoire.
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'Poor Butterfly' is a 1916 song composed by Raymond Hubbell with lyrics by John L. Golden. Inspired by Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, it includes a brief musical quotation from the opera's second-act duet Tutti i fior.
Introduced by Sophie Bernard in the Broadway show The Big Show, the song became popular through early recordings and was later revived in the 1950s. It eventually became a familiar jazz standard, performed by generations of vocalists and instrumentalists.
About the composer: Raymond Hubbell
Raymond Hubbell (1879–1954) was an American composer and songwriter known for his work in musical theater and popular music. He composed numerous songs and stage works during the early twentieth century, with 'Poor Butterfly' becoming his best-known composition.
