Pietro Mascagni

Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni (Italian: Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni; December 7, 1863 - August 2, 1945) was an Italian composer whose representative works include the opera "Cavalier Rustana" (1890). He studied at the Milan Conservatoire, but dropped out after two years and joined a third-rate touring theater troupe as a conductor. In 1889, he participated in a creative competition sponsored by the publisher E. Sonzonio with his opera "Cavalier Rusticana" and won the first prize. The play was performed in Rome the following year and was a success. In 1935, he created the opera "Nero".