A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Riotte, Philipp
RIOTTE, Philipp Jacob, born at St. Mendel, Treves, Aug. 16, 1776. Andre of Offenbach was his teacher in music, and he made his first appearance at Frankfort in Feb. 1804. In 1806 he was music-director at Gotha. In 1808 he conducted the French operas before the assembled royalties at the Congress of Erfurt. In April 1809 his operetta 'Das Grenzstädtchen' was produced at the Kärnthnerthor Theatre, Vienna, and thenceforward Vienna was his residence. In 1818 he became conductor at the Theatre an-der-Wien, beyond which he does not seem to have advanced up to his death, Aug. 20. 1856. The list of his theatrical works is immense. His biography in Wurzbach's Lexicon enumerates, between 1809 and 1848, no less than 48 pieces, operas, operettas, ballets, pantomimes, music to plays, etc., written mostly by himself, and sometimes in conjunction with others. In 1852 he wound up his long labours by a The Crusade,' which was performed in the great Redoutensaal, Vienna, with much applause. In other notices he is said to have produced an opera called 'Mozart's Zauberflöte' at Prague about 1820. He left also a symphony (op. 25), 9 solo-sonatas, 6 do. for PF. and violin, 3 concertos for clarinet and orchestra, but these are defunct. He became very popular by a piece called 'The Battle of Leipzig,' for PF. solo, which was republished over half Germany, and had a prodigious sale.
In a letter to the Archduke Rudolph (Thayer, iii. 195), Beethoven mentions that the fineness of the day and his going in the evening to 'Wanda' at the theatre had prevented his attending to some wish of the Archduke's. 'Wanda, Queen of the Samartians* was a tragedy of Z. Werner's, with music by Riotte, played from March 16 to April 20, 1812.[ G. ]