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 38 Collections and/or Records:
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1922
Letter, [1922], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse . News that the University has agreed to Tovey's Sunday concerts and of the University musical society and the Reid Orchestra, criticism of an article by A. C. Benson, Necks illness. Holograph signed.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 05 June 1924
Letter, 5 June 1924, Edinburgh, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. News of Lord Murray's capable management of the Reid orchestra. Holograph signed.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 07 June 1924
Letter, 7 June 1924, Liverpool, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. News of the Reid orchestra and details of the arts course in music at Edinburgh University. Holograph signed.
Letter to Sophie Weisse from William Alexander Curtis, 26 July 1940
Letter, 26 July 1940, Edinburgh, William Curtis to Sophie Weisse. Offering Miss. Weisse sympathy over the death of Tovey. Holograph signed.
Letter to Unknown from Sophie Weisse, c1920
Letter, [n.d], Sophie Weisse to Unknown. Requesting that the recipient deal with Miss. Weisse's post and news of her attempt to attend to things in this ' terrible time'. Holograph signed.
Postcard to Sir Donald Francis Tovey from Sophie Weisse, 13 December 1923
Postcard, 13 December 1923, Edinburgh, Sophie Weisse to Donald Tovey. Inviting Tovey to sort out pictures at George Square. Holograph signed.
Postcard to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 01 November 1919
Postcard, 1 November 1919, Edinburgh, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Note of first success of first Reid concert, praising Fanny Davies performance, and Tovey's address in Birmingham. Holograph signed.
Telegram to Sophie Weisse from Laura Weisse, 06 December 1935
Telegram, 6 December 1935, Edinburgh, Laura Weisse to Sophie Weisse. ' Concerto and orchestra superb'. Typescript with envelope, envelope annotated by Sophie Weisse.
Filtered By
- Subject: Edinburgh (Scotland) X
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Social Interaction 20
- Performances 5
- Ill Health 4
- Opera | The Bride of Dionysus 4
- Chamber Orchestra 3
- Composition (Music) 3
- Universities and Colleges, Administration 3
- Concert Programs 2
- Condolence Notes 2
- Family 2
- Piano 2
- Professional Recognition 2
- Academic Writing 1
- Administration 1
- Book donations 1
- Finance 1
- Honorary Degrees 1
- Instruction and Study 1
- Manuscript Preparation (Authorship) 1
- Music Theory 1
- Musical Criticism 1
- Performance practice (Music) 1
- Societies and Clubs 1
- Voyages and Travel 1 + ∧ less