Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886) was born near Cremona in Italy, and died in Milan. He studied at Milan Conservatory. His first major work was an opera "I Promesi Sposi", based on the novel by Manzoni. His greatest success was the opera "La Gioconda", which is still in today's operatic repertory. His most well-known composition is the "Dance of the Hours", which is from La Gioconda. In later years he taught at Milan Conservatory, where his pupils included Puccini and Mascagni.