Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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100 RIGADOON EIGBY
As a composer he can hardly be said to show
distinct individuality ; his ideas are wanting
in spontaneity, his themes are generally somewhat
dry, and their treatment often rather
diffuse and laboured. In fact Rietz was an
excellent musician, and a musical intellect of
the first rank—but not much of a poet. His
great reputation rested, first, on his talent for
conducting, and secondly on his rare acquirements
as a musical scholar. An unfailing ear,
imperturbable presence of mind, and great
personal authority, made him one of the best
conductors of modern times. The combination
of practical musicianship with a natural inclination
for critical research and a pre-eminently
intellectual tendency of mind, made him a
first-rate judge on questions of musical scholarship.
After Mendelssohn and Schumann,
Bietz probably did more than anybody else to
purify the scores of the great masters from the
numerous errors of text by which they were
disfigured. He was an absolute and uncompromising
adherent of the classical school, and
had but little sympathy with modem music
after Mendelssohn ; and even in the works of
Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms he was over-apt
to see the weak points. As to the music of the
newest German School, he held it in abhorrence,
and would show his aversion on every occasion.
He was, however, too much of an opera-conductor
not to feel a certain interest in Wagner, and in
preparing his operas would take a special pride
and relish in overcoming the great and peculiar
difficulties contained in Wagner's scores.
Rietz had many personal friends, but, as will
appear natural with a man of so pronounced a
character and opinions, also a number of bitter
enemies. He died at Dresden, Sept. 12, 1877,
leaving a large and valuable musical library,
which was sold by auction in Dec. 1877. Besides
the works already mentioned he published
a considerable number of compositions for the
chamber, songs, concertos for violin and for
various wind-instruments. He also wrote a
great Mass. ,
p. d.
RIGADOON (French Rigadon or Bigaudon),
a lively dance, which most probably came from
Provence or Languedoc, although its popularity
in England has caused some writers to suppose
that it is of English origin. It was danced
in France in the time of Louis XIII., but
does not seem to have become popular in
England until the end of the l7th century.
According to Rousseau it derived its name from
its inventor, one Rigaud, but others connect it
with the English 'rig,' i.e. wanton or lively.
The Rigadoon was remarkable for a peculiar
jumping step (which is described at length in
Compan's Dietionnairede la Danse, Paris, 1802)
this step survived the dance for some time.
The musio of the Rigadoon is in 2-4 or Q time,
and consists of three or four parts, of which
the third is quite short. The number of bars
is unequal, and the music generally begins on
the third or fourth beat of the bar. The following
example is from the third part of Henry
Playford's 'Apollo's Banquet' (sixth edition,
'
1690). The same tune occurs in The Dancing
Master,' but in that work the bars are incorrectly
divided.
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RIGBY, George Vernon, bom at Birmingham,
Jan. 21, 1840, when about nine years old
was a chorister of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham,
where he remained for about seven
years. In 1860, his voice having changed to
a tenor, he decided upon becoming a singer,
tried his strength at some minor concerts
in Birmingham and its neighbourhood, and
succeeded so well that in 1861 he removed to
London, and on March 4, appeared at the
Alhambra, Leicester Square (then a concert
room, managed by E. T. Smith), and in August
following at Mellon's Promenade Concerts at
Covent Garden. In 1865 he sang in the
provinces as a member of H. Corri's Opera
Company, until November, when he went to
Italy and studied under Sangiovanni at Milan,
where, in Nov. 1866, he appeared at the Carcano
Theatre as the Fisherman in ' Guglielmo
Tell.' He next went to Berlin, and in Jan.
1867 appeared at the Victoria 'Theatre there,
in the principal tenor Jarts in Don ' Pasquale,'
'La Sonnambula,' and 'L'ltaliana in Algieri.'
He then accepted a three months' engagement
in Denmark, and performed Almaviva in the
'Barbiere,' the Duke in 'Rigoletto,' and other
parts, in Copenhagen and other tovims. He
returned to England in Sept. 1867, and sang
at various places. In 1868 he was engaged
at the Gloucester Festival with Sims Reeves,
whose temporary indisposition afforded him
the opportunity of singing the part of Samson
in Handel's oratorio, in which he acquitted
himself so ably that he was immediately engaged
by the Sacred Harmonic Society, where
he appeared, Nov. 27, 1868, with signal success,
and immediately established himself as an
oratorio singer, appearing at all the principal
festivals. In 1869 he appeared on the stage of
the Princess's Theatre as Acis in Handel's '
Acis