Pietro Mascagni

Mascagni, Pietro (1863–1945), Italian opera composer of the verismo (realist) school, known for the one-act Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry, 1890). In 1929 he became musical director of La Scala, Milan. Although he composed 15 operas, among them L'Amico Fritz (1891), Mascagni did not repeat his initial success.

See also: Opera.