Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) was an Italian
composer known primarily for
his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of
Italian opera after
Giuseppe Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, stemming from the late-
Baroque era. Though his early work was firmly rooted in traditional late-19th-century
Romantic Italian opera he later developed his work in the realistic
verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents.
Photograph credit: Attilio Badodi; restored by Adam Cuerden