Out of Italian Gaetano Donizetti or Czech Bedřich Smetana, which opera composer lived and worked earlier?
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).
František Škroup František Jan Škroup (3 June 1801 in Osice near Hradec Králové – 7 February 1862 in Rotterdam; ] ) was a Czech composer and conductor. His brother Jan Nepomuk Škroup was also a successful composer and his father, Dominik Škroup, and other brother Ignác Škroup were lesser known composers.