In 1892, Pagliacci rocketed the young Rugierro Leoncavallo to fame; after such a triumph, in fact, it was all downhill for the still-young composer. The lukewarm reception to follow-ups like Crepusculum (1893) and La bohème (1897)—which languished in the shadow of Puccini's more famous opera on the same subject—must have proven particularly disappointing to Leoncavallo in light of his previous success. With Zazà (1900), however, the composer regained at least some measure of the prestige he had won with Pagliacci.

Leoncavallo himself drafted the libretto of this commedia lirica from the play by Pierre Berton and Charles Simon. Neither as economical nor consistent as Pagliacci, Zazà instead produces its effect through the ingenious use of variety to create unity. It is a powerful work with a demanding title role that, when performed well, can be as arresting as any in the standard repertory. Two characteristics mark Zazà: its blatant sentimentality and numerous cosmopolitan touches. The latter appears chiefly in the various styles of music played by the backstage band in the first act, in which Hungarian and Spanish motifs and French café music accompany various onstage acts at the seedy Alcazar de St. Etienne (a reminiscence, perhaps, of Leoncavallo's own early years in the theater). This music returns later in the opera, notably in the duet between Zazà and Dufresne at the beginning of Act II. Leoncavallo also hearkens to the musical past in Act III when Dufresne's daughter, Totò, plays Cherubini's Ave Maria, which becomes the foundation for a descant by Zazà.

The dreamy nature of the duet for Zazà and Dufresne at the beginning of Act II is created in part by a berceuse rhythm interrupted by returns of the faster material that accompanies the dialogue early in the first act. Leoncavallo further unifies the piece through the recurrence of an easily recognizable idea, the "kiss" motive from the prelude, which appears most prominently in the Act II duet between Zazà and Dufresne. Further highlights include two baritone arias for Cascart, "Buona Zazà del mio buon tempo, ascolta," in which he begs Zazà to end her affair with Dufresne, and "Zazà, piccola zingara," in which he once again confronts her after she has visited Dufresne's home.

Zazà was premiered under the direction of Toscanini at the Teatro Lirico in Milan on November 10, 1900. The work was a critical and popular success from the beginning, and within a few years it had been translated into German, French, and Russian and performed at theaters from San Francisco to Buenos Aires.The conductor Renzo Bianchi modified the opera in 1947; this shortened version became the standard, though revivals of the original have occurred with greater frequency since 1970.

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