Robert Clements wrote:

>If it makes you feel any better, even contemporaneously, Tosca was
>described as a shabby little shocker...  it's biggest appeal appears to
>have been the audience's love of Grand Dames of the Grande Theatre doing
>epic death scenes.
>
>Puccini set it to music in the tradition of verisimo...

As I have remarked in an earlier post,

   "For me, this is an opera that has everything an opera is supposed
   to have:  love, jealousy, intrigue, oppression, rebellion, liberation,
   torture, blackmail, attempted rape, cathartic vengeance, betrayal
   beyond the grave, and suicide.  All to consistently fine music,
   punctuated with memorable arias and duets."

Walter Meyer