Ries, Ferdinand (1784-1838)

The Grand Variations on the National Air of 'Rule Britannia', Op.116 is one of two sets of variations for piano and orchestra that Ries composed in England which takes for its theme a well-known English tunes (the other is the Introduction et Variations Brillantes, Op.170 ). The present edition is based jointly on the autograph score preserved in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preuischer Kulturbesitz Musikabteilung mit Mendelssohn-Archiv under the shelfmark mus. ms. Autogr. F Ries, 86N and the solo part from an edition published in London by Willis in 1824. As is usually the case with Ries, there are a number of refinements to the keyboard writing in the published edition of the work that probably reflect changes made after its premiere. The absence of extant printed orchestral parts for this work is not unduly troublesome since Ries's intentions are for the most part easy to determine from the autograph. Nonetheless, there are numerous minor inconsistencies in the placement of dynamic markings and inconsistently applied articulations which benefit from careful editorial intervention. These are indicated in this edition by the use of brackets and dotted slurs. Obvious wrong notes have been corrected without comment. Ries's pedal markings have been left as they appear in the original. Allan Badley