Ferdinand Ries, Brief an Franz Gerhard Wegeler in Koblenz, Godesberg, 24. Oktober 1826, Autograph

Ries announces his visit with Wegeler for the next month in order to talk about his opera project "The robber's bride". Ries has the chance of taking on the place of director and professor for composition and piano at the newly founded Lüttich Conservatory. Despite an appealing work environment, he does not like the idea of giving composition classes in French.

Some background information: This is the first of a total of 13 letters on the history of origins of Ries's first opera "The robber's bride" op. 156. In the letters W 47 through W 59 Ries and Wegeler exchange ideas about the musical version and adaptation of a libretto written by Koblenz poet Johann Joseph Reiff (1793-1864). Ries effusively describes his expectations of a text suitable as an opera subject. Obviously, it was Wegeler who suggested Reiff as libretto writer. Wegeler also participated in the development of a dramaturgic concept. Both Ries and Reiff called him in as consultant and middleman. Despite the tedious negotiations concerning the libretto the first performance of Ries's opera in Frankfurt on October 15th, 1828 was met continuous success (W 60, W 63). Current music encyclopaedia attribute the libretto's final version to singer, composer and libretto writer Christian Wilhelm Häser (1781-1867) from Stuttgart and musician and playwright Georg Döring (1789-1833). The letters only confirm that Döring was involved. None of the participating text editors was mentioned in the title of the autograph and the printed piano score from 1830. Johann Joseph Reiff published his textbook in 1829 with Hölscher in Koblenz under the title of "Der schlafende Räuber oder Die Räuberbraut, Oper in drey Akten von J. Jos. Reiff" ("The sleeping robber" or "The robber's bride", opera in three acts by J. Jos. Reiff). In the preface he calls himself the first text author of the libretto used for Ries's opera, which had been attributed mistakenly to Georg Döring due to some changes. Eleven of the opera's 20 numbers are based on Reiff's libretto (1st act introduction choir no. 1, duett no. 2, recitative and aria no. 7, finale no. 8; 2nd act: trio no. 10 (slight differences), duett no. 12, Recitativo and Polacca no. 13, Canzona e Coro no. 14, recitative, aria and choir no. 15; 3rd act: Canzona no. 18, Romanza no. 19. Kind information of the Bavarian State Library Munich where the piano score is kept.) Georg Döring already published his textbook in Frankfurt in 1828 under the title of "Die Räuberbraut, Oper in 3 Abteilungen, Musik von Ferdinand Ries" (The robber's bride, opera in three parts) and once again in 1833 as part of his "Dramatische Novellen" (Dramatic Novellas, vol. 4). (FG)