23 Facts About Ferdinand Ries

Ferdinand Ries composed eight symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos, three operas, and numerous other works, including 26 string quartets.

Ferdinand Ries received piano lessons from his father and was instructed by Bernhard Romberg, who belonged to the Bonn Hofkapelle as a cellist.

The French dissolved the Electoral court of Bonn and disbanded its orchestra, but in the early months of 1803 the penniless Ferdinand Ries managed to reach Vienna, with a letter of introduction written by the Munich-based composer Carl Cannabich on 29 December 1802.

Together with Carl Czerny, Ferdinand Ries was the only pupil whom Beethoven taught during these years.

Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven's secretary: he had correspondence with publishers, copied notes, completed errands and provided Beethoven the beautiful apartment in the Pasqualati House where the composer lived for several years.

Ferdinand Ries made his public debut as a pianist in July 1804, playing Beethoven's C minor concerto, Op.

Ferdinand Ries spent the summers of 1803 and 1804 with Beethoven in Baden bei Wien, as well as in Dobling.

One of the most famous stories told about Ferdinand Ries is connected with the first rehearsal of the Eroica Symphony, when Ferdinand Ries, during the performance, mistakenly believed that the horn player had come in too early and said so aloud, infuriating Beethoven.

Ferdinand Ries feared conscription in the occupying French army and so he fled Vienna in September 1805.

Ferdinand Ries had great difficulty succeeding in the capital city of the French Army and was at times so discouraged that he wanted to give up the profession of music and seek a position in the civil service.

On 27 August 1808, Ferdinand Ries arrived back in Vienna, where he again made contact with Beethoven.

Ferdinand Ries helped Beethoven with the premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and other works for the benefit concert held on 22 December 1808.

In July 1809, Ferdinand Ries left Vienna for the second time; this time he was threatened by the call-up to the Austrian military, which mobilized all forces against the threat to Vienna by Napoleon.

In January 1811, Ferdinand Ries left for Russia with the goal of an extended concert trip via Kassel, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm to St Petersburg.

Ferdinand Ries composed two piano concertos for this tour, No 2 in E flat major, op.

However, in the summer of 1812, with Napoleon advancing on Moscow, Ferdinand Ries left Russia to tour across Europe, arriving in London in April 1813.

In London too, Ferdinand Ries established himself as a respected piano teacher in the wealthy districts of the city and in 1814 he married Harriet Mangeon, from an opulent family.

Ferdinand Ries never lost touch with Beethoven and had a role in the London publications of many works of Beethoven after the peace of 1815, including the 1822 commission from the Philharmonic Society that resulted in the Choral Symphony.

Ferdinand Ries composed most of his orchestral works during his time in London: six of his eight symphonies were created for concerts of the Philharmonic Society.

In July 1824, Ferdinand Ries retired to Germany with his English wife and three children, but returned to musical life in Frankfurt am Main as composer and conductor.

Ferdinand Ries returned to Frankfurt where he died on 13 January 1838, after a short and unexpected illness.

When Ferdinand Ries died, he was so forgotten that no leading music magazine wrote an obituary for him.

Ferdinand Ries is buried in the Tomb of the Klotz family in the Frankfurt am Main cemetery.