Giovanni Bertati (10 July 1735 – 1 March 1815) was an Italian librettist.
Bertati was born in Martellago, Italy. In 1763, he wrote his first libretto, La morte di Dimone ("The Death of Dimone"), set to music by Antonio Tozzi. Two years later, L'isola della fortuna ("The Island of Fortune"), based on Bertati's libretto and Andrea Luchesi's music, was performed in Vienna. During 1770, Bertati visited Vienna several times, where he collaborated with Baldassare Galuppi. Emperor Leopold II gave Bertati the title of Poeta Cesareo ("Imperial Poet") of the Italian Opera in Vienna, previously held by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who, a year earlier, fell in disgrace with the emperor. He died in Venice, Italy.
During his career as a librettist, Bertati was almost exclusively devoted to writing drammi giocosi. His most celebrated libretto is Il matrimonio segreto ("The Secret Marriage"), set to the music of Domenico Cimarosa, and premiered on 7 February 1792, in Vienna.
Libretti
The following is the list of 70 libretti by Bertati; the years refer to first performances.
La morte di Dimone ossia L'innocenza vendicata (music by Antonio Tozzi, 1763)
Il curioso indiscreto (music by Pasquale Anfossi, 1777) – disputed attribution
La forza delle donne (music by Pasquale Anfossi, also under the title Il trionfo delle donne, 1778; music by Bernardo Ottani under the title Le amazzoni, 1784; music by Peter von Winter under the title Ogus ossia Il trionfo del bel sesso; music by Giuseppe Nicolini under the title Ogus ossia Il trionfo del bel sesso, 1799)
Le spose ricuperate (music by Luigi Caruso, also under the title I campi elisi ossia Le spose ricuperate, 1785)
L'amore costante (music by Giuseppe Gazzaniga, 1786; music by Pierre Dutillieu under the title Nannerina e Pandolfino ossia Gli sposi in cimento, 1792)
L'intrigo amoroso (music by Ferdinando Paer, also under the titles Il male vien dal buco, Saed ossia Il serraglio and Gli intrighi del serraglio, 1795)
