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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 692 Collections and/or Records:

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 28 June 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2592
Scope and Contents

Letter, 28 June 1935, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Concerning Tovey's ill health and expressing the feeling that she is being kept from Tovey by his wife. Holograph signed.

Dates: 28 June 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 30 June 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2593
Scope and Contents

Letter, 30 June 1935, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Informing Grierson that Miss. Weisse is going to Bad Nauheim and enclosing information on Miss. Weisses mother. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 30 June 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 02 July 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2594
Scope and Contents

Letter, 2 July 1935, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Concerning Tovey's illness and his treatment and care and Miss. Weisse's feelings. Holograph signed.

Dates: 02 July 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 08 July 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2596
Scope and Contents

Letter, 8 July 1935, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Details of Miss. Weisse's journey to Bad Nauheim and enclosing a letter from Tovey's doctor. Holograph signed.

Dates: 08 July 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 01 October 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2597
Scope and Contents

Letter, 1 October 1935, London, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Informing Grierson that Miss. Weisses brother is dying and asking for news of Tovey's whereabouts. Holograph signed.

Dates: 01 October 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 11 October 1935

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2598
Scope and Contents

Letter, 11 October 1935, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. News of Miss. Weisses brothers death, requesting that Grierson get a ticket for the Reid concert series and a description of Tovey's parents last years. Holograph signed.

Dates: 11 October 1935

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 02 January 1936

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2599
Scope and Contents

Letter, 2 January 1936, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. News of Tovey's treatment and convalescence at Bath, suggesting that Tovey should smoke so he can have social interaction with other men. Holograph signed.

Dates: 02 January 1936

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 14 September 1936

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2600
Scope and Contents

Letter, 14 September 1936, Bad Nauheim, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Expressing the feeling that Tovey is a character in a Greek tragedy, requesting a subscription seat to The Reid concerts. Holograph signed.

Dates: 14 September 1936

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 08 October 1937

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2602
Scope and Contents

Letter, 8 October 1937, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Concerning a discussion over which instrument Tovey's son should learn and Miss. Weisse explaining that she is too ill too come to Edinburgh. Holograph signed.

Dates: 08 October 1937

Letter to Dr Mary Gardner Grierson from Sophie Weisse, 17 October 1937

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L2603
Scope and Contents

Letter, 17 October 1937, Surrey, Sophie Weisse to Mary Grierson. Requesting that Grierson place a garland of flowers and ribbons in Eton blue on Tovey's desk in the Music Classroom. Holograph signed.

Dates: 17 October 1937

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 691
Collection 1
 
Subject
Social Interaction 366
London (England) 96
Oxford Oxfordshire England 95
Performances 82
Composition (Music) 71
∨ more
Instruction and Study 67
Surrey (England) 60
Concert Programs 55
Voyages and Travel 52
Ill Health 50
Englefield Green (England) 48
Guildford (England) 40
Edinburgh -- Scotland 38
Performance practice (Music) 32
Musical Criticism 22
Professional Interaction 22
Music Theory 21
Family 20
Music 20
Hartree 18
Instrumentation and Orchestration 18
Eton (England) 12
Opera | The Bride of Dionysus 12
Condolence Notes 11
Woking (England) 11
Music Publishing 10
Scholarships 10
Worplesdon (England) 10
Cambridge (England) 9
Professional Recognition 9
Bad Nauheim (Germany) 8
Biggar (Scotland) 8
Biography 8
Haslemere 8
Academic Writing 7
Berlin (Germany) 7
Examinations 7
Travel 7
Dorking (England) 6
England -- Northamptonshire -- Weston 6
Lippe (Germany) 6
Wokingham (England) 6
Littlehampton (England) 5
Lowestoft (England) 5
Manuscript Preparation (Authorship) 5
Memorials 5
Societies and Clubs 5
Universities and Colleges, Administration 5
Windsor (Berkshire, England) 5
Advertising 4
Arran Buteshire Scotland 4
Book Reviews 4
Bungay (England) 4
England -- Surrey -- Holmbury St Mary 4
Germany -- Mainz 4
Meiningen (Germany) 4
Music History and criticism 4
Piano 4
Shenley (England) 4
Translations 4
Administration 3
Agent, Musical 3
Careers Advice 3
Chamber Orchestra 3
Executors and Administrators 3
Fairfield 3
Fees, Professional 3
Opera 3
Paris (France) 3
Poetry 3
Salzburg (Austria) 3
Wixenford 3
Amsterdam (Netherlands) 2
Bonn (Germany) 2
Canstatt 2
Chislehurst (England) 2
Finance, Personal 2
Job Offers 2
Libraries 2
Libraries--Gifts, legacies 2
Liverpool Merseyside England 2
Manchester (England) 2
Marlow (Buckinghamshire, England) 2
Moffat (Scotland) 2
Music patronage 2
Music | 20th century 2
Musicians 2
New York City (New York, United States) 2
Oban Kilmore and Kilbride (parish) Argyllshire Scotland 2
Proofreading 2
Publications 2
Spain 2
Stuttgart (Germany) 2
Trumpington (England) 2
World War, 1939-1945 2
Aachen (Germany) 1
Accounts 1
Andover (Massachusetts) 1
Appointment to Office 1
Bern Switzerland 1
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