Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

—
'
—
ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND EOBERTS 111
He so won his way into her favour (no doubt
primarily by his ability in connection with
court masques, of which she was so fond), that
he became, in 1564, her foreign secretary. By
this he aroused political and other feelings, and
he was stabbed to death, almost in the Queen's
presence, in Holyrood Palace, on the evening
of March 9, 1566.
There is no doubt that Eizzio exercised some
influence on the music then fashionable in Scotland
(or at least in Edinburgh), and there appears
to have been a very strong tradition that he was
the composer of several of the well-known Scots
tunes. In 1725 William Thomson' in the
'
Orpheus Caledonius ' puts this tradition into
definite form by affixing a mark to seven of the
airs there engraved, stating them to be the composition
of Kizzio (see Orpheus Caledonius).
James Oswald and others have in one or two
instances also assigned other airs to Rizzio with
probablylessof tradition to justify them. f. k.
KOAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND, THE.
An English national song whose tune has
become associated with the serving of dinner
at public functions, and o^asionally used as a
signal for the same in the army.
The air is a fine marked specimen of English
melody, and is probably the composition of
Richard Leveridge, who doubtless sang the song
in public. The first two verses were inserted
in Henry Fielding's ballad opera, Don Quixote
'
in England,' produced in 1733. They are
considered to be by Fielding himself, and are
marked as to be sung to the air The ' (Jueen's
old Courtier.' Another claim, however, arises.
In Walsh's British Musical Miscellany or The
Delightfid Grove, vol. iii., is 'A Song in praise
of Old English Roast Beef : the words and
•
Musick by Mr. Leveridge.' This is a version of
seven verses, including the two, with slight
verbal differences, already placed in Fielding's
'
Don Quixote.' The tune is, however, the
now well-known melody as under
sobrd our veiiis,alld enriched our blood. Onrsoldierawere
Chorus.
England, and old EngliBh roast beet
The melody has been used for many songs, one,
formerly well known in the north, being The
'
Kail Brose of auld Scotland.' 'The Roast
Beef Cantata was a well-known piece originally
'
published about 1760-70. Headed by a copy
of Hogarth's picture the 'Gate of Calais,' the
subject of which is the carrying of a huge piece
of beef before a starved French sentry, the
praises of roast beef are set to several popular
airs, concluding with the ' Roast Beef of Old
England.' F. K.
EOBARTT, of Crewkerne, was an orgyn
'
maker ' who let out organs to churches by the
year. The Mayor of Lyme Regis, in 1551, paid
him ten shillings for his year's rent. v. de p.
ROBERT BRUCE. A pasticcio adapted by
Niedermeyer from four of Rossini's operas
'Zelmira,' the 'Donna del Lago,' 'Torvaldo e
Dorliska,' and ' Bianca e Faliero.' Produced
without success at the Aoad^mie Royale, Dec.
30, 1846. It is published in Italian as 'Roberto
Bruce ' by Ricordi. g.
ROBERT LE DIABLE. Opera in five acts ;
words by Scribe, music by Meyerbeer. Produced
at the Academic, Paris, Nov. 21, 1831.
In London, and in English, imperfectly, as
'
The Demon, or the Mystic Branch,' at Drury
Lane, Feb. 20, 1832, and as The Fiend '
Father,
or Robert of Normandy,' at Covent Garden the
day following ; as Robert ' the Devil ' at Drury
Lane (Bunn), March 1, 1845. In French, at
Her Majesty's, June 11, 1832, with Noun-it,
Levasseur, Damoreau. In Italian, at Her
Majesty's, May 4, 1847 (first appearance of
Jenny Lind and Staudigl). G.
ROBERTO DEVEREUX, CONTE D'ESSEX.
(1) Opera in three acts, text by Romani (from
Comeille), music by Mercadante. Produced at
Milan, March 10, 1833. (2) An opera in
three acts ; libretto by Camerano from Corneille's
'Comte d'Essex,' music by Donizetti. Produced
in Naples in 1837 ; at the Italiens, Paris, Dec.
27, 1838 ; at Her Majesty's Theatre, London,
June 24, 1841. The overture contains the air
of God ' save the King.
G.
ROBERTS, Henry, a music and an ornamental
engraver, who issued several notable
books of songs with music, now much sought
after, mainly on a4x^ount of their decorative
character. In these works the pieces are headed
with pictorial embellishments. The earliest of
Roberts's publications is ' Calliope, or English
Harmony,' in two volumes octavo. It was
issued by and for the engraver in periodical
numbers of 8 pp. and commenced late in the
year 1737. Twenty-five numbers formed the
first volume, which was completed in 1739.
The second volume began in this year, but
from some cause now unknown, the publication
came to a standstill when half through, and
was not resumed until 1746, when it came out
with the imprint of John Simpson {q.v.). This
volume oonteins God ' save the King,' which,
from the date 1739 appearing on some of the
plates, has been hastily assumed to be prior to
the copy in the GenUemun's Magazine of 1745 ;
this, however, is not the case, for ample proof
exists that this portion of the volume was not
issued before the spring of 1746. The plates