Sapho is Massenet's bourgeois, real-life opera; while it is full of passionate passages, it contains some of his most realistic music, following natural vocal cadences with even more attention than usual. The orchestration, while rich in the solo orchestral passages, is often sparse during the sung passages, further enhancing this naturalistic effect. As in his grander operas, there is often a blending of aria and arioso; there, it gives a more Wagnerian texture, and here, it has almost the opposite effect, one of simplicity.

While best known for his exotic flavorings, such as the Spanish touches in Le Cid and Don Quichotte or the Byzantine pomp of Esclarmonde, Massenet could also utilize much simpler tools. His use of Provencal-inspired folk-like melodies not only creates a vivid atmosphere, but epitomizes the difference between Jean's background and Sapho's in a way that makes their final separation all the more inevitable. (He also used a Provencal inspiration for the song "Mireille.")

The novel was a sensation from the moment of its publication, and the author, Alphonse Daudet (inspired perhaps by the success of Dumas in his story of a prostitute with a sense of duty and the sanctity of family life), soon wrote a play. Massenet was quickly taken with the idea of writing an opera, all the more so because Daudet was an old friend. The premiere performance was not completed, as soprano Emma Calve was suffering from a throat infection, but at subsequent performances, it was a tremendous success, though it, like the novel, drew accusations of over-modernism and sordidness. Overseas, it was also a resounding success, particularly in Italy, though far less so in the United States. As with most Massenet operas, it lost favor after World War I; unlike most of its companions in neglect, many critics consider this unjustified.

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