Question: Which Italian composer was from the earliest time period, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi or Giacomo Puccini?
Sentence (from "Giacomo Puccini"): Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (] ; 22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian opera composer who has been called "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi".
Relevant evidence: Yes