Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo (Italian pronunciation: [rudˈdʒɛːro leoŋkaˈvallo]; 23 April 1857 – 9 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his two-act work Pagliacci (1892) that remained his lasting contribution, despite attempts to escape the shadow of his greatest success.