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 Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 01 August 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L359

Scope and Contents

Letter, 1 August 1893, Suffolk, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of Tovey's visit to Lowestoft. Holograph signed.

Dates: 01 August 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 03 August 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L360

Scope and Contents

Letter, 3 August 1893, Suffolk, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of Tovey's visit to Lowestoft. Holograph signed.

Dates: 03 August 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 04 September 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L361

Scope and Contents

Letter, 4 September 1893, Biggar, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Thanking Miss Weisse for sending Tovey a treatise on Music by Dannreuther. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 04 September 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 19 August 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L362

Scope and Contents

Letter, Surrey, 19 August 1893, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Brief note informing Miss Weisse of a pleasant walk and financial situation. Typescript copy, on same page as L362/1.

Dates: 19 August 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 01 October 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L363

Scope and Contents

Letter, [October 1893], Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. List of scores Tovey requires. Holograph signed, in pencil, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 01 October 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 18 October 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L364

Scope and Contents

Letter, 18 October 1893, Berkshire, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of a rehearsal of works by Beethoven and Brahms by Tovey and a Mrs. Liddell. Holograph signed, with annotation in red ink by Sophie Weisse.

Dates: 18 October 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 18 October 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L365

Scope and Contents

Letter, 18 October 1893, Berkshire, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of a rehearsal of works by Beethoven and Brahms by Tovey and a Mrs. Liddell. Typescript copy.

Dates: 18 October 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, c1890

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L367

Scope and Contents

Letter, [n.d], Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of a lesson with Parry. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1890

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 13 November 1893

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L368

Scope and Contents

Letter, 13 November 1893, Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Suggestions for a concert programme. Holograph signed, in pencil, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 13 November 1893

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

Letter to Sophie Weisse from Sir Donald Francis Tovey, 14 November 1899

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L369

Scope and Contents

Letter, 14 November 1899, Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Family news and list of musical works Tovey requires. Holograph signed, with stamped envelope.

Dates: 14 November 1899

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Tovey Collection / Papers of Donald Francis Tovey / Correspondence

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

Dates

Biography

Found in 692 Collections and/or Records:

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