Ferdinand Ries, Brief an Franz Gerhard Wegeler in Koblenz, Frankfurt am Main, 17. April 1827, Autograph

Ries has relocated to Frankfurt and plans to finish his opera "The robber's bride". He is waiting for Johann Joseph Reiffs's adaptation of the libretto which he will give to some colleagues with theatre expertise for review. He will then forward the recommendations to Wegeler and Reiff. To serve as a model for the changes Ries wants Wegeler to give Reiff the operas "Ariadne on Naxos" (1774) and "Medea" (1776) by Georg Benda (1721-1795). He says he remembers shorter phrases expressing various emotions and hopes for a brilliant recitative and aria: "Ich glaube mich zu erinnern daß die Phrasen - kürzer - und verschiedener die Gefühle ausdrücken - und man könnte endlich in ein brilliantes Rec[itativ]: und Aria einfallen." Ries is saddened by Beethoven's death. "Unser armer Beethoven ist nicht mehr - ich kann Ihnen gar nicht sagen, wie sehr mich diese traurige Nachricht ergriffen hat, obschon ich es bestimmt vorher sah." (Our dear Beethoven is gone and I cannot tell you how his departure saddens me, although it was something we all had expected.) (FG)