The New International Encyclopædia/Ries, Ferdinand

RIES, rēs, Ferdinand (1784-1838). A German composer, born at Bonn. He was the eldest son of Franz Ries (1755-1846), a musical director at Bonn. He studied piano with Beethoven, his father's friend, from 1801 to 1805 at Vienna, and became prominent by his compositions and by his Biographische Notizen über L. Beethoven (1838). As a pianist he was most successful in his many concert tours through England, France, Russia, and Scandinavia. He was town musical director at Aix-la-Chapelle from 1834 to 1836. He wrote three operas: Die Räuberbraut (1828), Liska (1831), and Eine Nacht auf dem Libanon; two oratorios, Der Sieg des Glaubens and Die Könige Israels; overtures, symphonies, string quartets, violin sonatas, and a trio for two pianos and a harp.