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Weisse, Sophie, 1852-1945 (Scottish music teacher)

 Person

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 7 Collections and/or Records:

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Pablo Casals, 14 September 1911

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2068
Scope and Contents

Letter, 14 September 1911, Pablo Casals to Sophie Weisse. Thanking Miss. Weisse for her concern over the cholera epidemic in Barcelona and Catalonia. Holograph signed.

Dates: 14 September 1911

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 17 July 1893

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L357
Scope and Contents

Letter, 17 July 1893, Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Informing Miss Weisse of Tovey's time of arrival. Typescript copy.

Dates: 17 July 1893

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 20 July 1895

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L413
Scope and Contents

Letter, 20 July 1895, Lairg, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of Tovey's tour of Scotland. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 20 July 1895

Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1911

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L632
Scope and Contents

Postcard, [1911], Vienna, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. News of Tovey's travels, and of Busch and Mandyczewski, and a description of Bruckner's 9th Symphony. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1911

Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1912

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L634
Scope and Contents

Postcard, [1912], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Praising a performance of the Beethoven Mass and news of his visit. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1912

Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 19 January 1916

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L647
Scope and Contents

Postcard, 19 January 1916, Amsterdam, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. News of a successful concert in Amsterdam and details of Tovey's travels. Holograph signed.

Dates: 19 January 1916

Telegram to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 26 July 1897

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L464
Scope and Contents

Telegram, 26 July 1897, London, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of cost of a ticket to Luxembourg. Typescript copy.

Dates: 26 July 1897

Filtered By

  • Subject: Surrey (England) X
  • Subject: Voyages and Travel X

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Performances 2
Social Interaction 2
Amsterdam (Netherlands) 1
Guildford (England) 1
London (England) 1
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