Giacomo Puccini once famously said, "Just think of it! If I hadn't hit on music I should never have been able to do anything in the world."

Well, maestro, you certainly did hit on music and we're all the luckier. For that, Signor Puccini, you deserve one big grazie and a bravo to match.

The genius Italian opera composer was born in the Tuscan city Lucca in 1858 and raised in a family of musicians. After finishing his studies at the Milan Conservatory, Puccini set out on a career in the 1880s that brought him world fame and great riches. Unlike Verdi, one of Italy's other great operatic composers, Puccini's fame rests remarkably on few works, some of which remain today the most beloved in opera, such as Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and Turandot. Do click on the video (upper right) of Tory McKenna (a featured artist on iCadenza and one heavenly soprano) singing an aria from Turandot, "Tu che di gel sei cinta." Enjoy.

If you happen to be in Italy during the months of July and August, visit Torre del Lago in Tuscany, home to the Puccini Festival, founded in 1930, just six years after Puccini's death in Brussels. Puccini called Torre del Lago home and it's there where he, in his own words, was "a mighty hunter of wild fowl, operatic libretti, and attractive women."

For those, like myself, only beginning their journey into Italian opera, it's a good idea to start with Puccini. He was a brilliant dramatist and composed operas that have garnered great appeal across the generations. One reason for that is that he understood the theatrics of great opera, always keeping the public in mind when composing or searching out the perfect libretto. His art truly is for everyone. If you need further convincing, then listen to Chelsea Buyalos's rendition of "O mio bambino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. That should do it.