Which Italian composer was from the earliest time period, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi or Giacomo Puccini?
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (] ; 4 January 1710 – 16 March 1736), best known as Pergolesi (] ) or Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.
Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (] ; 29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, Donizetti was a leading composer of the "bel canto" opera style during the first half of the nineteenth century. Donizetti's close association with the bel canto style was undoubtedly an influence on other composers such as Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901).