Ries, Franz

Franz Ries – Dramatische Ouvertüre op. 30

(b. Berlin, 7. April 1846 – d. Naumburg,. Januar 1932)

Preface
Franz Ries came from a long line of musicians and violinists dating back to 1747 when his great-grandfather, Johann (1723 – 1784), became court trumpeter to the Elector of Cologne at Bonn and violinist in the chapel in 1754. His daughter, Anna Maria (b. 1745) remained a singer at the court until its dissolution in 1794. His son, Ries’s grandfather, Franz Anton (1755-1846), studied violin with Salomon and succeeded his father in the orchestra, aged eleven. He taught Ludwig van Beethoven, whose family he supported through difficult times. Ries’s uncle, Ferdinand (1784-1838), learned piano and violin from his father and cello from Bernhard Romberg. In 1801 he travelled to Vienna where he studied piano with Beethoven (who supported him during the lean years), and composition with Albrechtsberger. Ries’s father, Hubert (1802-1886), studied violin with his father and Spohr and composition with Moritz Hauptmann. He was a member of the royal band and became the Director of the Philharmonic Society in 1835. In 1839 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and in 1851 taught at the Royal Theatre School until his retirement in 1872. Ries’s eldest brother, Louis (1830-1913), was also a violinist studying with his father and Vieuxtemps, while his other brother, Adolph (1837-1899), studied piano with Theodor Kullak and composition with Boehmer (his daughter, Marie Gertrude (1880-1974) studied with Clara Schuman). Both brothers settled in London. Franz Ries, born in Berlin, studied violin with his father and Massart and Vieuxtemps in Paris. He visited London in 1870 playing at the Crystal Palace. His performing career was prematurely ended in 1873 through ill-health. However, in 1878 at the fifteenth music festival of the Allgemeine Deutsche Musikverein at Erfurt, he played Brahms’ B-flat major string quartet with the Dresden Quartet1 and had his second Suite for solo violin (“a healthy and bracing work”) played by Eduard Rappoldi2 showing his “excellent” violin playing “to advantage”.3 After his solo career Franz Ries turned to selling music and concert management.4 In 1881 Ries went into publishing, joining Hermann Erler in Berlin5 and in 1884 sold his music vending and concert management businesses to devote himself to publishing full time.6 The publishing house, Ries and Erler, continues to exist today and includes the music label Rime Records. …

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