Biography:Edward Riley

Biographical notes
 EDWARD RILEY (1769-1829) was an English engraver and publisher who had a business in London from 1795 to 1803, after which he emigrated to the United States. Arriving in New York, he established himself as a teacher of music and singing, advertising lessons on the German flute, patent flagiolet [sic], piano and singing. He also worked for a time as an engraver for established music publishers John Paff and John Appel. However, in 1811 he established his own publishing business. Riley also sold instruments from his premises. Following his death in 1829 his sons carried one the business until it became J.F. Gould & Co. in 1851. He wrote a treatise on flute playing and a four-volume collection on music entitled “Riley’s Flute Melodies.” His two daughters married John Firth and William Hall, respectively. For more on Riley, see Wendell Dobbs' article "An Early American Family of Flutists", Faculty Research, Paper 1, 2008, Marshall University.