Puccini

He chose libretti slowly and fussily and finished only twelve operas, six of which are still among the most performed works in the world. His instinct for the stage was close to a film director's: the scene changes in the second act of Tosca, the wordless humming chorus in Butterfly, are precise calculations of theatrical time.

His melodies persuade immediately, which is why serious criticism long looked down on him — but the harmony is quite modern underneath, with parallel fifths, whole-tone writing and modal turns all present and simply hidden beneath the tune. He died before finishing Turandot; at the 1926 premiere Toscanini put down his baton at the last bar Puccini had written and told the audience that this was where the master laid down his pen.