Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838) - Nicht bezeichnetes Ölgemälde

Ferdinand Ries, a pianist from Bonn knew Beethoven since he was a boy and belonged to the composer"s circle of close friends. Between 1801 and 1805 he lived in Vienna like Beethoven. During this time he revived his relationship with Beethoven and took piano lessons. In 1805 Ries left Vienna and returned only once in 1808/09 for a short visit. In 1813 he moved to London where he stayed a good ten yeas. He returned to the Rhineland in 1824.

During his time in Bonn Ries also became friends with Franz Gerhard Wegeler (1765-1848), one of the closest friends of Beethoven. In the 1830s both wrote an important and very reliable collection of memories regarding the composer which was published in 1838 under the following title: Biographische Notizen über L. van Beethoven" (Biographical notes about L. van Beethoven).