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''Betly, ossia La capanna svizzera'' ("Betly, or The Swiss Chalet") is a ''
dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The g ...
'' in two acts (originally one) by the Italian composer
Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''be ...
. The composer wrote the Italian
libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
after
Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...
and Mélésville's libretto for
Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...
's
opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...
''
Le chalet ' () is an opéra comique in one act by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Mélesville after the singspiel ' by Goethe. The score re-uses material from Adam's Prix de Rome cantata ''Ariane a Naxos'' (1825). The text for the ...
'', in its turn based on
Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
's
Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...
''Jery und Bätely'' (1779).


Performance history

The opera premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples on 24 August 1836.Albinati, Giuseppe (1912). ''Piccolo dizionario di opere teatrali, oratori, cantate, ecc.''
"''Betly''"
Milano: G. Ricordi & C. Retrieved 1 November 2015 .
Cassaro, James P. (2009). ''Gaetano Donizetti: A Research and Information Guide''
"''Betly, ossia La capanna svizzera''"
. Routledge.
The initial performance was not well-received due to the vocal decline of
Giuseppe Fioravanti Giuseppe Fioravanti ( 1795 – ?) was an Italian opera singer active during the first half of the 19th century. Although one of the most important and popular basso buffos of his generation, there is only a relatively small amount of information a ...
, the performer of the baritone role. However, the revision prepared by Donizetti for subsequent performances was a marked success. This success prompted the composer to expand the opera from one act to two acts. The two-act version of ''Betly'' was first presented on 29 September 1837 at the
Teatro del Fondo The Teatro Mercadante, earlier known as Teatro del Fondo, is a theatre in Naples, Italy. It is located on Piazza del Municipio, Naples, Piazza del Municipio #1, with the front facing the west side of Castel Nuovo, Naples, Castel Nuovo and near th ...
, Naples. Other Italian cities, where performances of the opera were given, include:
Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
in 1837,Mesa, Franklin (2007). ''Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597–2000''
"''Betly, osia La capanna svizzera''"
. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
in 1838,
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
in 1845,
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
in 1851, and
Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...
in 1859. The opera was also performed in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
in 1837, in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in 1842, and in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in 1844. It was transformed into a Spanish
zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...
, ''Propósito de mujer'', by Emilio Álvarez in 1864 and presented the same year in Madrid. The first American performance of the complete opera took place on 25 October 1861 in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, followed by the one on 28 October 1861 in New York City; fragments of the opera were heard in concerts already in 1840s. One notable performance in London was on 9 January 1838, with Frederick Lablache singing the baritone role; the English adaptation of ''Betly'' was presented there for the first time in 1841. The French adaptation, prepared by Hippolyte-Julien-Joseph Lucas after the death of the composer, with additional music written by Adolphe Adam, Chouquet, Gustave (1873). ''Histoire de la musique dramatique en France depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours''
"''Betly''"
. Paris: Typographie Ambroise Firmin Didot. Retrieved 1 November 2015 .

"Académie impériale de musique: ''Betly'', opéra en deux actes, paroles de M. Hippolyte Lucas, musique de Donizetti"
''
Revue et gazette musicale de Paris The ' () was a weekly musical review founded in 1827 by the Belgian musicologist, teacher and composer François-Joseph Fétis, then working as professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Conservatoire de Paris. It was the first French-languag ...
''. 21e Année, 1er Janvier 1854, pp. 2–3. Retrieved 1 November 2015
premiered in Paris in 1853, but had little success., and Larousse, Pierre (1873). ''Dictionnaire lyrique, ou Histoire des opéras: contenant l'analyse et la nomenclature de tous les opéras et opéras-comiques représentés en France et à l'étranger, depuis l'origine de ce genre d'ouvrages jusqu'à nos jours''
"''Betly"''
. Paris: Imprimerie Pierre Larousse. Retrieved 1 November 2015 .
The opera was staged sporadically in the 20th and 21st centuries: in
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
in 1948, 1968, 1993, and 2014;Jernigan, Charles
"Bergamo Musica Festival, 2014: Donizetti's ''Torquato Tasso'' & ''Betly''"
Donizetti Society. Retrieved 26 October 2015 .
Dellabianca, Andrea
"Bergamo Musica Festival 2014: ''Betly''"
''GBopera Magazine''. Retrieved 26 October 2015 .
in
Fermo Fermo (; ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest huma ...
in 1988;Lo Presti, Fulvio and Branca, Giacomo (1988)
"Festival di Fermo: con Donizetti alla Rocca Tiepolo una bella sera d'estate (25 luglio 1988) – ''La romanziera e l'uomo nero'' e ''Betly''"
Donizetti Society. Newsletter 46. Retrieved 31 October 2015 .
in
Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...
in 1990; in
Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
in 1933; in London in 1954 and 1995; and in Berlin (the German premiere) in 2015 in a semi-staged performance by
Berliner Operngruppe The Berliner Operngruppe is a German opera society with its own chorus and orchestra, based in Berlin, with the mission to revive rarely played Italian operas in Berlin. Since 2013 the semi-staged performances take place in Konzerthaus Berlin am G ...
. In "a double-bill of the same opera by different composers", ''
Le Chalet ' () is an opéra comique in one act by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Mélesville after the singspiel ' by Goethe. The score re-uses material from Adam's Prix de Rome cantata ''Ariane a Naxos'' (1825). The text for the ...
'' by Adam was performed before ''Betly'' on the same evening at the Stadttheater
Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...
in October 2023 during the 2023-24 season.


Roles


Synopsis

The synopsis below refers to the two-act version of the opera following the
Casa Ricordi Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily European classical music, classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian com ...
edition of its libretto current in the 20th century. :Time: 18th century :Place:
Appenzell Appenzell () was a cantons of Switzerland, canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered ...
, Switzerland Daniele Birman, a young Swiss landowner, is in love with Betly, a beautiful and independent girl, who, however, doesn't return his feelings. As the opera begins, the inhabitants of Appenzell have prepared for a joke a fake love letter from Betly to Daniele, accepting his marriage proposal. The young man is elated and invites the villagers to his wedding celebrations. Soon after, Betly arrives and discovers the situation. Even though she momentarily feels pity for Daniele, she dashes his hopes and resolutely rejects his pleas for marriage. Sad Daniele stumbles upon a troop of Swiss soldiers under the command of Sergeant Max Starner, and out of desperation tries to enlist in the army. Daniele confides in Max, not realizing he is Betly's brother gone from the Canton of Appenzell for fifteen years, to whom he has recently sent a letter informing of his intention to marry Betly, and whose encouragement he has received. Max decides to teach his sister a lesson and secure a happy ending for Daniele. To that end, he orders his soldiers to turn Betly's house upside down. The soldiers eagerly obey and demand food and alcohol from Betly. Max conceals his identity from the sister, and frightens her into believing that if after fifteen days he and his troop depart satisfied, she will have to house the entire regiment. Betly begs Daniele to stay with her for a day, in order to keep the unruly soldiers at bay. Overjoyed Daniele agrees, while Betly starts to feel sympathy for him. Max pretends to be drunk and makes false advances on Betly, who calls upon Daniele's help. After an argument Max challenges Daniele to a duel at midnight, which the latter accepts. For Max the duel is just a vehicle to bring Daniele and Betly together. To calm down anxious Betly, Daniele tells her that the sergeant has apologized, then swears eternal love to her and says he is leaving to join the army. At this moment Max reappears and pretends he will fight with Daniele. Betly, by now feeling a genuine affection for Daniele, attempts to prevent the duel and to save Daniele from being killed. Max says he may well show clemency if he knew Daniele were married. Upon hearing this, Betly gathers her courage and claims Daniele is in fact her husband, and father of the family, for that matter. As a proof of her words, Max first forces Betly and Daniele to embrace each other, and next demands the marriage contract to be shown. Betly finds and signs the document, that was already signed by a deceived Daniele in preparation for his "wedding". She gives the contract to Max and secretly tells Daniele that this is a ruse: in order to be valid, the document must also be signed by her brother Max. Once Max has the papers in his hands, he quickly signs them and reveals his identity. Betly proclaims her love for Daniele and the story happily concludes.


Structure

The information below refers to the two-act version of the opera as appearing in an older edition by
Casa Ricordi Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily European classical music, classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian com ...
current in the 20th century. Further stages of Donizetti's reworking of the opera are reflected in a newer critical edition by the same publisher. Given Donizetti's readiness to adapt to external conditions and a particular choice of singers by adding, subtracting or modifying musical numbers, it is impossible to talk of a definitive version of ''Betly'' beyond a general classification into the one-act and two-act versions.


Act 1

*
Overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...
* Daniele and Chorus: Introduction "Gia l'aurora in cielo appar" and
cavatina (Italian for "little song") is a musical term, originally meaning a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to any simple, melodious air, as distinguished from brilliant ...
"E fia ver?" * Daniele: Recitative "Amici miei" * Betly: Cavatina "In questo semplice, modesto asilo" * Betly and Daniele:
Recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...
"Ho mangiato e bene" and duet "Ah! Io sognai che me beato" * Daniele: Recitative "È finita per me" * Max and chorus: Choir "Maledetta la vita di stento", recitative "Alto facciam, compagni" and cavatina "Ti vedo, ti bacio, terreno natio" * Max: Recitative "Al riposo, compagni" * Max and Daniele: Recitative "Oh, giovinotto, dimmi" * Betly, Max, Chorus: Scene, choir and finale 1 "Per questa via remota"


Act 2

* Chorus: Introduction "Che si tarda?" * Betly, Max and Chorus: Recitative "Lasciatemi... che volete da me?" and
brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...
"I destini del soldato" * Betly and Daniele: Recitative "Tutto il giorno" and duet "Dolce instante inaspettato" * Betly, Daniele and Max: Recitative "Che! L'ha fatto restar" and terzet "Davvero la scelta è buona" * Daniele and Max: Recitative "Bassa la voce" and duet "O la bella immantinente" * Betly, Max, Daniele and Chorus: Recitative "Mi reggo appena in piè" and "Se crudele il cor mostrai"


Analysis

Donizetti's work on ''Betly'' fell during difficult years in his life, marked by the loss of his parents, daughter, and wife, and troubles due to the opera mismanagement in Naples. Nevertheless, the opera attests to the composer's creative powers. With its rustic setting, a baritone soldier, and an independent and beautiful soprano, initially resisting courtship by a good-natured tenor, the plot of ''Betly'' bears an obvious resemblance to Donizetti's earlier work, ''
L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (; ''The Elixir of Love'') is a (comic melodrama, opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's (1831). ...
''. Characters in the opera are depicted with mastery and vivacity, the music is tuneful, and the orchestration refined. The universal confusion at the end of act 1, with Betly confronting Max and his soldiers, resembles the one typical of
Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...
's operas. The "Swiss" character of the work is highlighted by employing a
yodel Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from t ...
-type figure in Betly's cavatina "In questo semplice, modesto asilo". The latter aria was appreciated by musical critics of the 19th century for its charm and freshness, and was a popular choice as a concert piece. ''Betly'' also features an amusing instance of a musical joke: sleepy Daniele contributes notated yawns to Betly's concluding
cadenza In music, a cadenza, (from , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display ...
in their duet "Dolce instante inaspettato". Furthermore, the duet of Daniele and Max "Ah! Mi sprona la gloria" presents a subtle parody of "heroic" duets of tenors and baritones, of which Donizetti himself wrote several. The principal differences between the one-act and two-act versions of the opera are the addition of an overture, replacement of spoken dialogues with recitatives set to music,Boaretto, Danilo
"Bergamo Musica Festival 'G. Donizetti' – Teatro Sociale: ''Betly''"
OperaClick. Retrieved 26 October 2015 .
addition and expansion of musical numbers, and transposition of the soprano role down a semitone.


Recordings

Betly's cavatina "In questo semplice, modesto asilo" has been recorded by three leading
bel canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...
repertory exponents of the 20th century,
Dame Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She possessed a voic ...
,
Montserrat Caballé María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...
and Margherita Carosio. There are two full-length recordings of the opera:


References

Notes Sources * *


Further reading

*Allitt, John Stewart (1991), ''Donizetti: in the light of Romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr'', Shaftesbury: Element Books, Ltd (UK); Rockport, Massachusetts: Element, Inc.(USA) * Ashbrook, William (1998), "''Betly''" in
Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...
(ed.), ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'', vol. 1, p. 459. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. *Ashbrook, William and Sarah Hibberd (2001), in Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam. . pp. 224–247. *Black, John (1982), ''Donizetti's Operas in Naples, 1822—1848''. London: The Donizetti Society. * Osborne, Charles, (1994), ''The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini'', Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. *
Sadie, Stanley Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...
, (ed.); John Tyrell (exec. ed.) (2004), ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
''. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. (hardcover). (eBook). * Weinstock, Herbert (1963), ''Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century'', New York: Pantheon Books.


External links


Libretto in Italian
(one-act version) with English translation on the Casa Bongiovanni website
Libretto in Italian
(one-act version) with English translation on
HathiTrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

Libretto in Italian
(two-act version) on the
University of Pavia The University of Pavia (, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; ) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest un ...
website
Libretto in Italian
(two-act version) at the
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Libretto in Italian
(two-act version) at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
*
Score
of the Cavatina ''In questo semplice, modesto asilo'' at


Fondazione Donizetti (Bergamo) website
{{Authority control Operas 1836 operas Italian-language operas Operas based on works by Eugène Scribe Operas by Gaetano Donizetti Drammi giocosi Operas set in Switzerland