Weisse, Sophie, 1852-1945 (Scottish music teacher)
Dates
- Existence: 1852 - 1945
Biography
Sophie Weisse was born in Edinburgh in 1852 to a German father and Lithuanian mother. Little is known of her early life and education. In 1892, she founded the all-girls school of Northlands in Surrey, which she ran for twenty-five years. Although Northlands was a school of general education, music was given a particularly prominent place in the curriculum, and musical celebrities were often invited to visit and perform. Weisse employed the young Donald Tovey as a pianist at the school’s concerts, which provided a launch for his career as a musician and composer. Weisse had discovered Tovey’s talent at the age of four and had managed all aspects of his education. She further supported his career by funding the publication of his works between 1903 and 1913. Weisse and Tovey maintained a lifelong relationship. When Tovey was appointed to Edinburgh University’s Reid Chair of Music in 1914, Weisse followed him to Edinburgh. As Reid Professor, Tovey bestowed on Weisse an honorary degree of Doctor of Music in 1936. Weisse died in Guildford in 1945.
Weisse was a major benefactor of the University of Edinburgh. On Tovey’s death in 1941, she gifted 18 Buccleuch Place to the University as 'The Tovey Memorial Rooms', with the intention that it be used for student study. She also gifted the University portraits of Tovey and herself by Philip de Laszlo and endowed the Tovey Memorial Prize as an annual award for the most promising undergraduate composer or performer in the Faculty of Music. Her collection of around 600 books and scores relating to Beethoven was purchased by the University in 1948.
Found in 13 Collections and/or Records:
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 17 February 1895
Letter, 17 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Tovey's application for the Mendelssohn scholarship an news of Tovey's contemporaries at Balliol. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 10 February 1895
Letter, 10 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Thanking Miss Weisse for sending gifts and praising Bray and his circle of friends. Holograph signed, in pencil, with stamped envelope.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 06 February 1895
Letter, 6 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Informing Miss Weisse of his arrival at Balliol, and Bray's care for Tovey. Holograph signed, in pencil, with stamped envelope.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 24 May 1895
Letter, 24 May 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Inviting Miss. Weisse to lunch and a concert and a description of life at Balliol. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 11 June 1895
Letter, 11 June 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Outlining Tovey's anxiety about his studies in classics and description of a day out with Joachim. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 21 February 1896
Letter, 21 February 1896, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Notice of Tovey's arrival date and forthcoming engagements. Typescript copy.
Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 24 February 1895
Postcard, 24 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Arranging to meet at a concert. Holograph signed.
Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 06 March 1895
Postcard, [6 March 1895], Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Apologising for not writing and requesting a ' Field Nocturnes'. Holograph signed.
Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 22 February 1895
Postcard, 22 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Thanking Miss Weisse for a box of apples. Holograph signed.
Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 11 February 1895
Postcard, 11 February 1895, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Notes on Tovey's brother's visit to Balliol and Tovey's future engagements. Holograph signed.