born Dec. 7, 1863, Livorno, Italy
died Aug. 2, 1945, Rome
Italian composer.
He began to compose when very young. At the Milan Conservatory he studied with Amilcare Ponchielli (183486) and was Giacomo Puccini 's roommate, but he was expelled. Taking conducting jobs with touring opera companies, he started writing operas and won a contest with his one-act Cavalleria rusticana (1890); it was an instant success from its premiere, and it remains his best-known work.