Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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RICHAFOET RICHARDS 91
Weaver (adapted from Les ' Fourberies de Seapin"),
with music by Dr. Pepusch, in 1716-17.
w. H. G. F.] [See also Beggar's Opera, vol.
i. p. 277 ; Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre,
vol. ii. p. 733 ;
Pantomime, vol. iii. p. 616.]
Encouraged by success he at length decided
upon the erection of a, larger theatre, the
stage of which should afford gieater facilities
for scenic and mechanical display, and accordingly
built the first Covent Garden Theatre,
which he opened Dec. 7, 1732. Hogarth
produced a caricature on the occasion of the
removal to the new house, entitled 'Rich's
Glory, or his Triumphal Entry into Covent
Garden,' copies of which will be found in Wilkinson's
Londina llltistrcUa, and in H. Saxe
Wyndham's Annals of Covent Garden Theatre,
vol. i. He conducted the new theatre with
great success until his death, relying much upon
the atti'action of his pantomimes and musical
pieces, but by no means neglecting the regular
drama. In his early days he had attempted
tragic acting, but failed. He died Nov. 26,
1761, and was buried Dec. 4, in Hillingdon
churchyard, Middlesex. (See list of productions,
etc., in the Diet, of Nat. Biog.) w. h. h.
KICHAFORT, Jean, a Flemish musician of
the earlier part of the 16th century, whom we
know on the authority of the poet Ronsard to
have been a pupil of Josquin Despres. He was
one of the more distinguished composers of the
period immediately after Josquin, in which with
the retention of what was valuable in the older
technique of contrapuntal artifice, there was, as
Mr. Wooldridge observes, a greater approach
made towards purity of sound and "beauty of
expression. The only known dates of Richafort's
career are that between 1543 and 1547 he was
choirmaster of the church of St. Gilles, Bruges,
but this is supposed to have been towards the
end of his life, since as early as 1519 a motet
of his composition appears in one of the collections
of Petrucci, the Motetti de la Corona,
lib. ii. His works appeared only in the collections
of the time, and specially in those of
Attaignant and Modemus between 1530 and
1550. Two masses are specially mentioned,
one ' Ogenetrix gloriosa' published by Attaignant
1532, and afterwards copied into the Sistine
chapel and other choir-books ; the other, Veni
'
Sponsa Christi,' 1540, based on one of his own
motets, which Ambros describes as the finest of
the collection of motets in which it appears.
The motet has been reprinted in Maldeghem's
'Tresor.' A Requiem, a 6, would seem from the
account which Ambros gives of it to be on the
whole more curious than beautiful, though it
testifies to the aim after intensity of expression.
While the other voices sing the ritual text, the
two tenor sing in canon
' Circumdedei-unt me
gemitus mortis,' and also reply to each other as
if with exclamations of personal sorrow, ' c'est
douleur non pareille.' If some of Richafort's
works retain a character of antique severity,
others, as Eitner observes, are remarkable for
their wonderful beauty, clearness, and simplicity.
Several of his motets Ambros singles out for
high praise. Of one which he mentions, ' Quem
dicunt homines,' the opening portion is given by
Mr. Wooldridge in the Oxford History of Music,
vol. ii. pp. 269-70. Glarean gives' in full
Richafort's motet ' Christus resurgens ' as a good
example of the polyphonic treatment of the
Ionic mode. Of the fifteen chansons of Richafort
in various collections, two fine specimens are
accessible in modem reprints, De mon ' triste
deplaisir' in Commer Collectio xii., and 'Sur
tous regrets ' in Eitner's republication of Ott's
'Liederbuch,' 1544. j. R. M.
RICHARD C(EUR DE LION. An op&acomique
in three acts ; words by Sedaine, music
by Gretry. Produced at the Op&a-Comique
Oct. 21, 1784. The piece has a certain historical
value. One of the aus, ' Une fievre brulante,'
was for long a favourite subject for variations.
Beethoven wrote a set of eight upon it (in C
major), published in Nov. 1798, having probably
heard the air at a concert of M'^eigl's in
the preceding March. Anotlier set of seven
(also in C)'were for long attributed to Mozart,
but are now decided not to be by him. The
air 'ORichard, 6 mon roi, I'univers t'abandonne,
was played on a memorable occasion in the
early stage of the French Revolution—at the
banquet at Versailles on Oct. 1, 1789. [Two
versions were made for the English stage
General Burgoyne's was acted at Dmry Lane
in 1786, and Leonard MacNally's at Covent
Garden in the same year. Thomas Linley
adapted Gr^try's music to one of them and
the opera remained a standard work for many
years. F. K.] G.
RICHARDS, Henry Bbinley, son of Henry
Richards, organist of St. Peter's, Carmarthen,
was born there Nov. 13, 1817, and intended
for the medical profession, but preferred the
study of music, and became a pupil of the
Royal Academy of Music, where he obtained
the King's scholarship in 1835, and again in
1837. He soon gained a high position in
London as a pianist. As a composer he was
financially very successful, his song God ' bless
the Prince of Wales ' (published in 1 862) having
reached a high pitch of popularity, even out of
England, and his sacred songs, part-songs, and
pianoforte pieces having been most favourably
received. [An overture in F minor was performed
in 1840.] He composed additional
songs for the English version of Auber's Crown
'
Diamonds,' when produced at Drury Lane in
1846. He especially devoted himself to the
study of Welsh music (upon which he lectured),
and many of his compositions were inspired by
his enthusiastic love for his native land. He
exerted himself greatly in promoting the
interests of the South Wales Choral Union