Giacomo Puccini vs Jacqueline du Pré
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Giacomo Puccini | Jacqueline du Pré | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Composer | Classical |
| Born | 1858 | 1945 |
| Died | 1924 | 1987 |
| Country of birth | Italy | United Kingdom |
| Star sign | Sagittarius | Aquarius |
Who they are
Giacomo Puccini
Master of verismo opera — melody that breaks the heart La Bohème · Madama Butterfly · Tosca · Turandot Born December 22, 1858 · Lucca, Italy · Died November 29, 1924
Full biography of Giacomo Puccini →
Jacqueline du Pré
There is a recording made in 1965, when Jacqueline du Pré was nineteen years old, that classical musicians still use as a reference point for what the cello can express. She was performing Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor — a late, elegiac work that Elgar wrote in 1919, after the destruction of the First World War, and which had been considered a minor piece of his output until du Pré played it. Her performance — large-scaled, deeply personal, technically sovereign — transformed the concerto's reputation overnight. It is now considered one of the great…
Full biography of Jacqueline du Pré →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Italy and United Kingdom.
- 87 years separate their births (1858 and 1945).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Giacomo Puccini or Jacqueline du Pré?
- Giacomo Puccini. Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858, Jacqueline du Pré in 1945.
- What field is each of them in?
- Giacomo Puccini is filed under Music (Composer). Jacqueline du Pré is filed under Music (Classical).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.