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, 12 October 1889

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L347

Scope and Contents

Letter, 12 October 1889, Cambridge, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of a visit to Leeds and a concert attended there. Holograph signed.

Dates: 12 October 1889

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, 25 October 1889

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L348

Scope and Contents

Letter, 25 October 1889, Windsor, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Details of a visit to Leeds with a Mr. and Mrs. Newall and of the concerts they saw there. Holograph signed.

Dates: 25 October 1889

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, 12 January 1891

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L349

Scope and Contents

Letter, 12 January 1891, London Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of a concert at The Royal Albert Hall, and a ` drawing room performance' Tovey gave.. Holograph signed.

Dates: 12 January 1891

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 November 1892

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L350

Scope and Contents

Letter, [November 1892], Windsor, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Covering note for some of Tovey's compositions, including a violin quartet. Holograph signed.

Dates: 01 November 1892

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, 25 December 1892

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L352

Scope and Contents

Letter, 25 December 1892, Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Christmas greetings. Holograph signed, annotations in pencil by Miss Weisse at the end of the letter.

Dates: 25 December 1892

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, c1892

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L353

Scope and Contents

Letter, [n.d], [Surrey], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. List of musical works owned by Tovey and those he would like to acquire. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1892

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, c1892

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L354

Scope and Contents

Letter, [n.d], Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Requesting musical scores to aid the completion of Tovey's own quartet. Holograph signed.

Dates: c1892

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, 08 November 1897

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L479

Scope and Contents

Letter, 8 November 1897, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. News of Tovey's progress at Balliol, and his boredom with studying the classics. Holograph signed, with duplicate typescript copy, [2]p. 26 x 21cm.

Dates: 08 November 1897

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, 17 November 1897

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L480

Scope and Contents

Letter, 17 November 1897, Oxford, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Arranging a suitable time for Miss. Weisse to visit Balliol, details of the Oxford musical club. Holograph signed, with duplicate typescript copy, [3]p. 26 x 20cm .

Dates: 17 November 1897

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, 30 September 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-411/1/1/L416

Scope and Contents

Letter, 30 September 1895, Surrey, Donald Tovey to Sophie Weisse. Description of Bray's stay with the Tovey's and Tovey's anxiety over his studies. Holograph signed.

Dates: 30 September 1895

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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