(b. Berg-Giesshubel, Saxony, 1710 ; d. Vienna, 1804), studied a t Dresden, chiefly under Zelenka, becoming violoncellist in the court chapel a t Zerbst, where he still was in 1761. as Konzertmeister, and as famous teacher. He composod church music, cantatas, etc. (Q.-L. ; Riemann). R0LLIG, K arl L eopold, from 1764-73 conductor of Ackermann's theatrical company a t Hamburg, was an improver of and virtuoso on the glass-harmonica, and inventor of the orphica and Xiinorphica (improved PF. and archi-PF). In 1797 he was appointed a t the Imperial Library, Vienna. He composed concertos and pieces for the above instruments; also interlude for orchestra, songs and theoretical works, etc. (Q.-L. ; Riemann).
Archive | R
RANTZAU, I
opera in 4 a c t s ; tex t by G. Targioni - Tazzetti and G. Menasci; music by Mascagni. Produced Pergola, Florence, Nov. 10, 1892 ; Covent Garden, Ju ly 7, 1893.
RECTEETRETRO, PER
(Lat. imitatio cancrizans, imitatio per motum retrogradumy imitatio recurrens ; Ital. imitazione al rovescio, o alia river s a ; Eng. retrograde imitation). A peculiar kind of imitation, so constructed th a t the melody may be sung backwards as well as forwards ; as shown in the following two-part canon, which must be sung by the first voice from left to right, and by the second from right to left, both beginning together, but a t opposite ends of the music. Jf) - =- The earliest known instances of Retrograde Imitation are to be found among the works of the Flemish composers of the 15th century, who delighted in exercising their ingenuity, not only upon the device itself, but also upon the Inscriptions prefixed to the canons in which it was employed. The Netherlander were not, however, the only musicians who indulged successfully in this learned species of recreation. Probably the most astonishing example of it on record is the motet,1 1 Diligcs Dominum,' written by William Byrd for four voices- treble, alto, tenor and bass-and transmuted into an eight-part composition, by adding a second treble, alto, tenor and bass, formed by singing the four first parts backwards. I t is scarcely possible to study this complication attentively, without feeling one's brain turn giddy ; yet, strange to say, the effect produced is less curious than beautiful. There is little doubt th a t the idea of singing music from right to left was first suggested by reversed, as well as the sequence of the notes, is called * Retrograde Inverse Imitation ' (Lat. imitatio cancrizans motu contrario; Ital. imitazione al contrario river so). I t might havo been thought th a t this would have contented even Flemish ingenuity. But it did not. The partbooks had not yet been turned upsidedown ! In the subjoined example we have endeavoured to show, in a humble way, the manner in which this most desirable feat may also bo accomplished. The two singers, standing face to face, hold the book between them ; one looking a t it from the ordinary point of view, the other, upside-down, and both reading from left to right-th a t is to say, beginning a t opposite ends. The result, if not strikingly beautiful, is, a t least, not inconsistent with the laws of counterpoint. (For other examples see I nscription.) Retrograde Imitation has survived in more - uaU t o u -o t o 't n m n m o Q 0 5 - Lau o da-te Dominum, orn - ne* gen o tea, those strange oracular verses 2 which may be read either backwards or forwards, without injury to words or metre ; such as the wellknown pentameter- * Roma tibi subito motibus ibit amor,* or the cry of the Evil Spirits- 4 In girum imus noctu ecce ut consumimur igni.* The canons were frequently constructed in exact accordance with the method observed in these curious lines ; and innumerable quaint conceits were invented, for the purpose of giving the singers some intimation of the manner in which they were to be read. * Canit more Hebraeorum ' was a very common motto. * Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt sibi ' indicated th a t the singers were to begin a t opposite ends, and meet in the middle. In the second Agnus Dei of his 4 Missa Graecorum,' Hobrecht wrote, ' Aries ve rta tur in Pisces '- Aries being the first sign of the Zodiac, and Pisces the last. In another pa r t of the same Mass he has given a far more mysterious direction- ' Tu tenor cancriza e t per antifrasin canta, Cum furcis in capite antifrasizando repete.' This introduces us to a new complication ; the secret of the motto being, th a t the tenor is not only to sing backwards, but to invert the intervals (' per antifrasin c a n ta '), until he reaches the * horns '-th a t is to say, the two cusps of the semicircular time-signature-after which he is to sing from left to right, though still continuing to invert the intervals. This new device, in which the intervals themselves are 1 Reprinted by Hawkins, History, ch. 96. 3 Versus recurrenies, said to have been first invented by the Greek poet, Sotades, during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus. The examples we have quoted are, however, of much la te r date ; th e oldest o f them being certainly n o t earlier th a n th e 7 th century. tes, la u -d a - te Do-mi-num. than one very popular form. In the year 1791 Haydn wrote for his Doctor's degree, a t the University of Oxford, a ' Canon cancrizans, a tre * (' Thy Voice, 0 Harmony '), which will bo found in Vol. II. p. 574, and he has also used the same device in the minuet of one of his symphonies. (Cf. R o v e scio , Al.) But perhaps i t has never ye t appeared in a more popular form than th a t of the well-known double chant by Dr. Crotch : Sir John Stainer wrote a hymn-tune ' Per Recte e t Retro ' in 1898 for tho Church Hymnary (No. 381) ; it is also No. 81 of Novello's edition of the composer's hymns. I t reads backwards in all the parts, w. s. r .
REIMANN, MATTHIEU(MATTHIAS REYMANNUS)
(b. Lowenberg, 1544 ; d. Prague, Oct. 21, 1597), a Doctor of Law and Imperial Councillor under Rudolf I I . ; wrote two works for the lute ; the one entitled ' Noctes musicae ' appeared in 1598, and the other, ' Cithara sacra psalmodiae Davidis ad usum tostudinis,' in 1603. H. v. H.
REPASTORE, IL
dramatic c anta ta to Metastasio's words (with compressions), composed by Mozart a t Salzburg in 1775, in honour of the Archduke Maximilian. First performed Apr. 23, 1775. G.
RIBIBLE
an obsolete instrument played by a bow. I t is mentioned by Chaucer and other early writers, and appears to have been either the rebec itself, or a particular form of it. Sometimes it is spelled ' rubible.' I t has been suggested th a t both ' rebec ' and ' ribible ' are derived from the Moorish word ' rebeb ' or ' rehab,' which seems to have been the name of a somewhat similar musical instrument. (See R ebec.) f . k.
RIES
A distinguished family of musicians. (1) J o h a n n (b. Benzheim on the Rhine, 1723 ; d. Cologne, 1784) was appointed court trumpeter to the Elector of Cologne a t Bonn, with a salary of 192 thalers, May 2, 1747, and violinist in the chapel, Mar. 5, 1754. On Apr. 27, 1764, his daughter (2) A n n a M a r i a was appointed singer. In 1774 she married Ferdinand Drewer, violinist in the band, and remained first soprano till the break-up in 1794. Her brother (3) F r a n z A n t o n (b. Bonn, Nov. 10, 1755 ; d. Nov. 1, 1846) was an infant phenomenon on the violin; learned from J . P. Salomon ; and was able to take his father's place in the orchestra a t the age of 11. His salary began when he was 19, a t 25 thalers a year ; he occupied the post until 1774. In 1779 he visited Vienna, and made a great success as a solo and qua rte t player. But he elected to remain, on poor pay, in Bonn, and was rewarded by having Beethoven as his pupil and friend. On Mar. 2, 1779, he petitioned the Elector Maximilian for a post, and received it on May 2. During the poverty of the Beethoven family, and through the misery caused by the death of Ludwig's mother in 1787, Franz Ries stood by them like a real friend. In 1794 the French arrived, and the Elector's establishment was broken up. Some of the members of the band dispersed, but Ries remained, and documents are preserved which show th a t after the passing away of the invasion he was to have been court-musician.1 Events, however, were otherwise ordered ; he remained in Bonn, and a t Godesberg, where he had a little house, till his death ; held various small offices, culminating in the Bonn city government in 1800, taught the violin, and brought up his children well. He assisted Wegeler in his Notices of Beethoven, was present a t the unveiling of Beethoven's statue in 1845, had a Doctor's degree and the Order of the Red Eagle conferred on him. Franz's son (4) F e r d i n a n d (b. Bonn, Nov.* 1784 ; d. Aix-la-Chapelle, Jan. 13, 1838), who with the Archduke Rudolph enjoys the distinction of being Beethoven's pupil, was brought up from his cradle to music. His father taught him the pianoforte and violin, and B. Romberg the violoncello. In his childhood he lost an eye through small-pox. After tho break-up of the Elector's band he remained three years a t home, working very hard a t theoretical and practical music, scoring the quartets of Havdn and Mozart, and i See the curious and im p o rtan t lists and memorandums, p ublished for th e firs t t ime in Th ay er's Beethoven, i. 248. * Baptized Nov. 28. arranging the ' Creation,' the ' Seasons ' ar.d the Requiem with such ability th a t they were all three published by Simrock. In 1801 he went to Munich to study under Winter, in a larger field than he could command a t home. Here he was so badly oft as to be driven to copy music a t 3d. a sheet. But poor as his income was he lived within it, and when after a few months Winter left Munich for Paris Ries had saved seven ducats. With this he went to Vienna in Oct. 1801, taking a letter from his father to Beethoven. Beethoven received him well, and when he had read the letter said, ' I can't answer i t now ; but write and tell him th a t I have not forgotten the time when my mother died ' ; and, knowing how miserably poor the lad was, he on several occasions gave him money unasked, for which he would accept no return. The next three years Ries spent in Vienna. Beethoven took a great deal of pains with his pianoforte-playing, but would teach him nothing else. He, however, prevailed on Albrechtsberger to take him as a pupil in composition. The lessons cost a ducat each ; Ries had in some way saved up twenty-eight ducats, and therefore had twentyeight lessons. Beethoven also got him an appointment as pianist to Count Browne, the Russian charge d'affaires, and a t another time to Count Lichnowsky. The pay for these services was probably not over-abundant, but it kept him, and the position gave him access to the best musical society. As to Ries's relations with Beethoven see B e e t h o v e n , Vol. I. p. 283 ; they are fully laid open in Ries's own invaluable notices. He had a great deal to bear, and, considering the secrecy and imperiousness which Beethoven often threw into his intercourse with every one, there was probably much unpleasantness in the relationship. Meantime Ries must have become saturated with the music of his great master ; a thing which could hardly tend to foster any little originality he may ever have possessed. As a citizen of Bonn he was amenable to the French conscription, and in 1805 was summoned to appear there in person. He left in Sept. 1805, made the journey on foot via Prague, Dresden and Leipzig, reached Coblenz within the prescribed limit of time, and was then dismissed on account of the lass of his eye. He then went on to Paris, and existed in misery for apparently a t least two years, a t the end of which time he was advised to try Russia. On Aug. 27, 1808, he was again in Vienna, and soon afterwards received from Reichardt an offer of the post of Kapellmeister to Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, a t Cassel, which Reichardt alleged had been refused by Beethoven. Ries behaved with perfect loyalty and straightforwardness in the matter. Before replying, he endeavoured to find out from Beethoven himself the real state of the case; but Beethoven, having adopted the idea th a t Ries was trying to get the post over his head, would not see him, and for three weeks behaved to him with an incredible degree of cruelty and insolence. When he could be made to listen to the facts he was sorry enough, b u t the opportunity was gone. The occupation of Vienna (May 12, 1809) by the French was not favourable to artistic life. Ries, however, as a French subject, was free to wander. He accordingly went to Cassel, possibly with some lingering hopes, played a t court, and remained till the end of Feb. 1810, very much applauded and feted, and making money-but had no offer of a post. From Cassel he went by Hamburg and Copenhagen to Stockholm, where we find him in Sept. 1810, making both money and reputation. He had still his eye on Russia, but between Stockholm and St. Petersburg the ship was taken by an English man-of-war, and all the passengers were turned out upon an island in the Baltic. In St. Petersburg he found Bernhard Romberg, and the two made a successful tour, embracing places as wide apar t as Kiev, Reval and Riga. The burning of Moscow (Sept. 1812) p u t a stop to his progress in th a t direction, and we next find him again a t Stockholm in Apr. 1813, en route for England. By the end of the month he was in London. Here he found his countryman and his father's friend, Salomon, who received him cordially and introduced him to the Philharmonic Concerts. His first appearance there was Mar. 14, 1814, in his own PF. Sextet. His symphonies, overtures and chamber works frequently occur in the programmes, and he himself appears from time to time as a PF. player, but rarely if ever with works of Beethoven. Shortly after his arrival he married an English lady of great attractions, and he remained in London till 1824, one of the most conspicuous figures of the musical world. ' Mr. Ries,' says a writer in the Harmonicon of Mar. 1824, ' is justly celebrated as one of the finest pianoforte performers of the day ; his hand is powerful and his execution certain, often surprising ; b u t his playing is most distinguished from th a t of ail others by its romantic wildness.' His sojourn here was a time of herculean labour. His compositions numbered a t their close nearly 180, including 6 fine symphonies ; 4 overtures; 6 string quintets, and 14 do. quartets ; 9 concertos for PF. and orchestra ; an octet, a septet, 2 sextets and a quintet, for various instruments ; 3 PF. quartets and 5 do. t r io s ; 20 duets for PF. and violin ; 10 sonatas for PF. solo; besides a vast number of rondos, variations, fantasias, etc., for the PF. solo and duet. Of these 38 are attributable to the time of his residence here, and they embrace 2 symphonies, 4 concertos, a sonata and many smaller pieces. As a pianist and teacher he was very much in request. He was an active member of the Philharmonic Society. His correspondence with Beethoven during the whole period is highly creditable to him, proving his gratitude towards his master, and the energy with which he laboured to promote Beethoven's interests. That Beethoven profited so little therefrom was no fault of Ries's. Having accumulated a fortune adequate to the demands of a life of comfort, he gave a farewell concert in London, Apr. 8, 1824, and removed with his wife to Godesberg, near his native town, where he had purchased a property. Though a loser by the failure of a London bank in 1825-26, he was able to five independently. About 1830 he removed to Frankfort. His residence on the Rhine brought him into close contact with the Lower Rhine Festivals, and he directed the performances of the years 1825, 1829, 1830, 1832, 1834 and 1837, as well as those of 1826 and 1828 in conjunction with Spohr and Klein respectively. In 1834 he was appointed head of the town orchestra and Singakademie a t Aix-la-Chapelle. But he was too independent to keep any post, and in 1836 he gave this up and returned to Frankfort. In 1837 he assumed the direction of the Cecilian Society there on the death of Schelble, b u t this lasted a few months only, for on J a n . 13, 1838, he died after a short illness. The principal works which he composed after his return to Germany are ' Die Rauberbraut,' which was first performed in Frankfort probably in 1829, then in Leipzig, July 4, and London, Ju ly 15, of the same year, and often afterwards in Germany ; another opera, known in Germany as ' Liska,' but produced a t the Adelphi, London, in English, as ' The Sorcerer,' by Arnold's company, Aug. 4,1831, and a third, ' Eine Nacht auf dem Libanon ' ; an oratorio, ' Der Sieg des Glaubens ' (The Triumph of the Faith), apparently performed in Dublin for the first time in 18311 and then a t Berlin, 1835 ; and a second oratorio, ' Die Konige Israels ' (The Kings of Israel), Aix-la-Chapelle, 1837. He also wrote much chamber music and six symphonies. All these works, however, are dead. Beethoven once said of his compositions, * he imitates me too much.' He caught the style and the phrases, but he could not catch the immortality of his master's work. One work of his will live-the admirable Biographical Notices of Ludwig van Beethoven, which he published in conjunction with Dr. Wegeler (Coblenz, 1838). The two writers, though publishing together, have fortunately kept their contributions quite d is tin c t; Ries's occupies from pp. 76 to 163 of a little duodecimo volume, and of these the last thirtyfive pages are occupied by Beethoven's letters. The work is translated into French by Le i Information from L. M'C. L. Dix, Esq. Gentil (Dentu, 1862), and partially into English by Moscheles, as an Appendix to his version of Schindler's Life of Beethoven. A . w . T . (5) P i e t e r J o s e p h (b. Bonn, Apr. 6, 1791; d. London, Apr. 6, 1882), a brother and dovoted admirer of F e r d i n a n d , whose compositions were cherished by him until death, when they passed into the care of A. J . Hipkins, who later restored them to the Ries family. Ries was also a musician, but his active life was spent partly in the Broadwood House as the foreign correspondent; and earlier with the East India Company during the period of Charles Lamb.1 Although a busy man, he gave his spare time either to teaching or playing music, and also to finding a ready market for the eau de Cologne of his countrymen and friends the Farinas. He was a staunch Roman Catholic and a good friend. He did not marry. Young as he was in the bitter winter of 1794, he well remembered the advent of the French, and of the soldiers billeted on his father's crowded home, and of their helpfulness in fetching water, in chopping wood, and in amusing the children; perhaps, most of all, Napoleon, and the compelling glance of his eyes. E . J . H". (b) H u b e r t (b. Bonn, Apr. 1, 1802 ; d. Berlin, Sept. 14, 1886), youngest brother of Ferdinand, made his first studies as a violinist under his father, and afterwards under Spohr. Hauptmann was his teacher in composition. From 1824 he lived a t Berlin. In th a t year he entered the band of the Konigstadt Theatre, Berlin, and in the following year became a member of the royal band. In 1835 he was appointed director of tho Philharmonic Society a t Berlin. In 1836 he was nominated Konzertmeister, and in 1839 elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1851 he became a teacher a t the Kgl. Theaterinstrumentalschule, from which he retired with a pension in 1872. A thorough musician and a solid violinist, he was held in great esteem as a leader, and more especially as a methodical and conscientious teacher. His Violin-School for beginners is a very meritorious work, eminently practical and widely used. He published two violin-eoncertos, studies and duets for violins, and some quartets. An English edition of the Violin-School appeared in 1873 (Hofmeister). Three of hi3 sons gained reputation as musicians : (7) Louis (b. Berlin, Jan. 30, 1830 ; d. London, Oct. 3, 1913), violinist, pupil of his father and of Vieuxtemps, settled in 1853 in London, where he enjoyed deserved reputation as violinist and teacher. He was a member of the Quartet of the Musical Union from 1855- 1 To Ries, Lamb's wit was incomprehensible. Once, on extolling the beauties of the Rhine, Lamb, who was peeling an apple, tossed him the paring, saying, ' There's the rive for you. Evidently Ries was not aware of the British vernacular for ' rind.' 1870, and held the second violin a t the Monday Popular Concerts from their beginning in 1859 until his retirement in 1897. (8) Adolph (b. Berlin, Dec. 20, 1837 ; d. Apr. 1899), pianist, was a pupil of Kullak for the piano, and of Boehmer for composition, and lived in London as a pianoforte teacher. He published a number of compositions for the piano, and some songs. (9) F ranz
RIVARDE, SERGE ACHILLE
(b. New York, Oct. 31, 1865), violinist. His father was Spanish ; his mother American. He lived in America till the age of 11, receiving lessons successively from Felix Simon, Henri Wieniawski and Joseph White (a man of colour). Coming to Europe he entered the Paris Conservatoire, to become a pupil of Charles Dancla. He won a first prize in July 1879, sharing the same with Franz Ondnfiek. In 1881 he returned to America, where he stayed three years, and then gave up violin-playing entirely for a time. In 1885 he came back to Paris and entered Lamoureux's orchestra, in which he remained for five years as principal violin, and occasional soloist. He gave up the appointment in 1891 and made his debut in London in 1894. In 1899 he took the post of violin professor a t the R.C.M. He is occasionally heard as soloist in London and abroad, being the possessor of an exceptionally pure style, b u t spends most of his time in teaching. In 1924 he started a school of his own for violin-playing in London, but without abandoning his work a t the R.C.M., whore as a teacher of solo and ensemble playing he has earned a high reputation. He published (1922) a small manual of his method, Violin-playing. w. w. o.
ROGER, GUSTAVE HIPPOLITE
(b. La Chapello-Saint-Denis, Paris, Dec. 17, 1815; d. Paris, Sept. 12, 1879), eminent French singer. He entered the Conservatoire in 1836, and after studying for a year under Martin carried off the first prizes both for singing and opera-comique. He obtained an immediate engagement, and made his debut a t the Opera- Comique, Feb. 16, 1838, as Georges in ' L ' Kclair.' To a charming voice and distinguished appearance he added great intelligence and stage tact, qualities which soon made him the favourite tenor of the Parisian world, and one of the best comedians of the day. Ambroiso Thomas composed for him 1 Le Perruquier de la Regence ' and ' Mina,' Halevy gave him capital parts in * Les Mousquetaires de la Reine ' and ' Le Guitarrero,' and Auber secured him for ' Le Domino noir,' ' La Pa r t du Diable,' ' La Sirene ' and ' Haydee.' Meyerbeer declared him to be the only French artist capable of creating the p a r t of John of Leyden. In consequence, after ten years of uninterrupted success, Roger left the Opera-Comique for the Opera, where on Apr. 16, 1849, he created an immense sensation with Mme. Viardot, in ' Le Prophete.' During the next ten years he was invaluable a t the Opera, creating new parts in the ' Enfant prodigue,' the ' Juif errant ' and many more. His best creation after John of Leyden, and his last p a r t a t the Opera, was Helios in David's ' Herculanum ' (Mar. 4, 1859). In the following autumn he lost his right arm while shooting, by the bursting of a gun ; he reappeared with a false one, but with all his skill and bravery he could not conceal his misfortune, and found himself compelled to bid farewell to the Opera and to Paris. He went once more to Germany, which he had been in the habit of visiting since 1850, and where he was invariably successful, partly owing to his unusual command of the language. After this he sang in the principal provincial theatres of France, and in 1862 reappeared a t the Opera-Comique in his best parts, especially th a t of Georges Brown in ' La Dame blanche,' but it was evident th a t the time for his retirement had arrived. He then took pupils for singing, and in 1868 accepted a professorship a t the Conservatoire, which he held till his death. Roger was the author of the French trans lation of Haydn's ' Seasons,' and of the words of several romances and German Lieder. His book, Le Carnet d'un tenor (Paris, Ollendorff, 1880), is a portion of his autobiography. I t contains an account of his visits to England in 1847 (June) and 1848 (June-Nov.), when he sang a t the Royal Italian Opera, and made an artistic tour in the provinces with Mile. Jenny Lind and other artists. G. o.
RONDO
(Fr. rondeau), a piece of musio having one principal subject, to which a return is always made after the introduction of other matter, so as to give a symmetrical or rounded form to tho whole. From the simplicity and obviousness of this idea i t will be readily understood th a t the rondo-form was the earliest and most frequent definite mould for musical construction. For a full tracing of this point see F o r m . Later on there grew out of the free section a second subject in a related key, and still later a third, which allowed the second to bo repeated in the tonic. This variety closely resembles the firstmovement form, the third subject taking tho place of the development of subjects, which is rare in a rondo. Tho chief difference lies in the return to the first subject immediately after the second, which is the invariable characteristic of the rondo. The fully developed rondo - form of Beethoven and the modern composers may be thus tabulated : 2nd sub. 9nr, _Ilh 1st sub. (dorai- 1st sub. 3rd sub. 1st sub. ^9?"(" . Coda. nant). (tome). In the case of a rondo in a minor key, the second subject would naturally bo in the relative major instead of in the dominant. The finale of Beethoven's ' Sonate pathetique ' (op. 13) affords an exceptionally clear instance of this use of rondo form. Beethoven's rondos will all be found to present but sUght modifications of the above form. Sometimes a ' working-out ' or development of the second subject will take the place of the third subject, as in the sonata in E minor (op. 90), but in every case the principal subject wiU be presented in its entirety a t least three times. But as this was ap t to lead to monotony-especially in the case of a long subject like th a t in the sonata just quoted- Beethoven introduced the plan of varying the theme slightly on each repetition, or of breaking off in the middle. In the rondo of the sonata in K? (op. 7) again, we find the main subject out short on its second appearance, while on its final repetition all sorts of Uberties are taken with i t ; i t is played an octavo higher than its normal place, a free variation is made on it, and a t last we are startled by its being thrust into a distant key-E ; . F . c.