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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 155 Collections and/or Records:

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L526
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1899], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Explaining why Tovey had not written to Miss. Weisse sooner and concern over the issue of an analytical programme for Bach concerts. Holograph signed in pencil.

Dates: c1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L527
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1899], London, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of study at the British Library, piano fingering technique and programme notes. Holograph signed, with annotations in pencil on first leaf.

Dates: c1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L529-L530
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1899], London, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. A description of Joachim's evaluation of Tovey's compositions. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 26 March 1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L532
Scope and Contents

Letter, 26 March 1899, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Explaining a correspondence with Joachim, and discussion of Tovey's concerto. Holograph signed.

Dates: 26 March 1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L535
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1899], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of Tovey's current composition's, discussion of rhythm in Beethoven's 4th symphony. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1899

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L536
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1899], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Analysis of the playing, rhythm and performance of ' The Bohemians '. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1899

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 05 January 1898

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L537
Scope and Contents

Letter, 5 January 1898, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Christmas wishes, praise of a concerto by Joachim and a discussion of the progress of Tovey's composition. Holograph signed.

Dates: 05 January 1898

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1901

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L559
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1901], Arran, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of Tovey's variations at the end of a piano quartet and notes on his composition. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1901

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1902

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L574
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1902], Berlin, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of Tovey's time in Germany, comparison of English and German manners, outlining Joachim's criticism of his composition . Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.

Dates: c1902

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1902

 Item
Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L575
Scope and Contents

Letter, [1902], Berlin, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of Tovey's time in Germany, comparison of English and German manners, outlining Joachim's criticism of his composition . Typescript copy, incomplete.

Dates: c1902

Filtered By

  • Subject: Music X

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Type
Archival Object 154
Collection 1
 
Subject
Composition (Music) 71
Social Interaction 43
Performance practice (Music) 32
London (England) 24
Instruction and Study 21
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Music Theory 21
Music 20
Guildford (England) 16
Oxford Oxfordshire England 16
Surrey (England) 16
Musical Criticism 13
Music Publishing 10
Performances 10
Instrumentation and Orchestration 9
Voyages and Travel 8
Englefield Green (England) 7
Eton (England) 7
Edinburgh -- Scotland 5
Hartree 5
Concert Programs 4
Family 4
Music History and criticism 4
Opera | The Bride of Dionysus 4
Academic Writing 3
Haslemere 3
Lippe (Germany) 3
Professional Interaction 3
Worplesdon (England) 3
Arran Buteshire Scotland 2
Bad Nauheim (Germany) 2
Berlin (Germany) 2
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Book Reviews 2
Cambridge (England) 2
England -- Surrey -- Holmbury St Mary 2
Ill Health 2
Littlehampton (England) 2
Manuscript Preparation (Authorship) 2
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Music | 20th century 2
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Oban Kilmore and Kilbride (parish) Argyllshire Scotland 2
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Santa Barbara (California, United States) 1
Scotland -- Argyllshire -- Morvern 1
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Shenley (England) 1
Singing--Instruction and study 1
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Wixenford 1
women musicians 1
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