Hugo David Weisgall (October 13, 1912 – March 11, 1997) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and conductor, known chiefly for his

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but d ...

compositions. He was born in

Ivančice Ivančice (; german: Eibenschütz, yi, אייבעשיץ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

(then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, later in his childhood

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

) and moved to the United States at the age of eight. Weisgall studied at the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

, privately with

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

, and at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

with conductor

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to ...

and composer Rosario Scalero. He later earned a Ph.D. in

German literature German literature () comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy and to a less ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he was an aide-de-camp to General

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

. After the war he became a professor, and taught at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

, the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, all in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His notable students include composers

Dominick Argento Dominick Argento (October 27, 1927 – February 20, 2019) was an American composer known for his lyric operatic and choral music. Among his best known pieces are the operas ''Postcard from Morocco'', '' Miss Havisham's Fire'', ''The Masque of An ...

, Bruce Saylor and the accordionist/composer

William Schimmel William Schimmel (born 1946) is one of the principal architects in the resurgence of the accordion, and the philosophy of "Musical Reality" (composition with pre-existing music). He holds Bachelor of Music, Master of Science and Doctor of Musical ...

. Weisgall came from a family of several generations of

cantors A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

, and maintained a lifelong interest in both sacred and secular

Jewish music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originate ...

. In 1992 he was commissioned by the Friends of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary to write a

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rare ...

, ''Psalm of the Distant Dove'', commemorating the 500th anniversary of the

expulsion of the Jews from Spain The Expulsion of Jews from Spain was the expulsion from Spain following the Alhambra Decree in 1492, which was enacted in order to eliminate their influence on Spain's large ''converso'' population and to ensure its members did not revert to Judai ...

. Other major works include his most ambitious opera, ''Athaliah'' (libretto: Richard Frank Goldman, after

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

), and his often-performed ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' (libretto: Denis Johnston, after

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

). Hugo Weisgall died at the age of 84 on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

, New York.

Major works

Operas *''Night'' (1932, not performed). Opera in 1 act.

Libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

: after the play by Sholem Asch *''Lilith'' (1934, not performed). Opera in 1 act. Libretto: after the play by L. Elman *'' The Tenor'' (1948–1950). Opera in 1 act. Libretto:

Karl Shapiro Karl Jay Shapiro (November 10, 1913 – May 14, 2000) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1945 for his collection ''V-Letter and Other Poems''. He was appointed the fifth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the ...

and Ernst Lert (after the play by

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the deve ...

). World Premiere: February 11, 1952 Baltimore (Peabody Opera Company; conductor: Hugo Weisgall) *'' The Stronger'' (1952). Opera in 1 act. Libretto: Richard Henry Hart (after the play ''Den Starkare'' by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

). WP (piano version): August 9, 1952 Westport, Connecticut (

White Barn Theatre The White Barn Theatre was a theater founded in 1947 by actress and producer Lucille Lortel on her property in Norwalk, Connecticut. The theater premiered numerous plays by established playwrights that often continued to successful Broadway and O ...

; Hilltop Opera Company). WP (orchestral version): 1955 New York (

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

) *''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, the ...

'' (1953–1956). Opera in 3 acts. Libretto: Denis Johnston (after the play by

). WP: April 26, 1959 New York (

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

; with

Beverly Sills Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was especially renowned f ...

oloratura *''Purgatory'' (1958). Opera in 1 act. Libretto: after the play by

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

. WP: February 17, 1961 Washington (

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

) *''The Gardens of Adonis'' (1959, revised 1977–1981). Opera in 3 scenes. Libretto: John Olon-Scrymgeour (after the play ''Venus and Adonis'' by

André Obey André Obey (; 8 May 1892 at Douai, France – 11 April 1975 at Montsoreau, near the river Loire) was a prominent French playwright during the inter-war years, and into the 1950s. He began as a novelist and produced an autobiographical novel ab ...

, based on the eponymous

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meaning ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

). WP: September 12, 1992 Omaha, Nebraska (Witherspoon Concert Hall) *''Athaliah'' (1960–1963). Opera in 2 parts. Libretto: Richard Frank Goldman (after the play ''Athalie''

691 __NOTOC__ Year 691 ( DCXCI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 691 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

). WP: February 17, 1964 New York (concert performance) *'' Nine Rivers from Jordan'' (1964–1968). Opera in a prologue and 3 acts. Libretto: Denis Johnston. WP: October 9, 1968 New York (New York City Opera) *''Jenny, or The Hundred Nights'' (1975/76). Opera in 1 act. Libretto:

John Hollander John Hollander (October 28, 1929 – August 17, 2013) was an American poet and literary critic. At the time of his death, he was Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University, having previously taught at Connecticut College, Hunter ...

(after a ohplay by

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

). WP: April 22, 1976 (

, American Opera Center) *''

Will You Marry Me? An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

'' (1989). Opera in 1 act. Libretto: Charles Kondek (after the play ''A Marriage Has Been Arranged'' by

Alfred Sutro Alfred Sutro Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 August 1863 – 11 September 1933) was an English author, dramatist and translator. In addition to a succession of successful plays of his own in the first quarter of the 20th century, Sutro made t ...

). WP: March 8, 1989 New York ( Opera Ensemble of New York) *''

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

'' (1990–1993). Opera in 3 acts. Libretto: Charles Kondek (after the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

). WP: October 8, 1993 New York (New York City Opera) Vocal music *''A Garden Eastward Cantata'' for soprano and orchestra *''A Song of Celebration'' for tenor, soprano, chorus and orchestra *''Evening Prayer for Peace (Ki el shomrenu)'' for chorus

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

*''Fancies and Inventions'' for baritone and 5 instruments *''Fortress, Rock of Our Salvation (Moos tzur)'' for chorus a cappella *''Lyrical Interval'' song-cycle for low voice and piano *''Psalm of the Distant Dove'' Canticle for mezzo-soprano and piano *''So Spake Rabbi Akiba (Omar Rabbi Akiba)'' for chorus a cappella *"Liebeslieder" for Soprano and Piano

References

External links

Hugo Weisgall's page at Theodore Presser CompanyHugo Weisgall Papers
in th
Music Division
o

Composer information
from Theodore Presser, Weisgall's publisher.
Artist page
from the

Milken Archive of American Jewish Music Lowell Jay Milken (born November 29, 1948) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the co-founder and chairman of the Milken Family Foundation. He is also the founder of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, TAP System for T ...

.
American and Israeli Jews Performing Together in a conference entitled Counter-Harmonies: Jewish Experience in 20th-Century Music.
by Bruce Duffie, June 6, 1986. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weisgall, Hugo 1912 births 1997 deaths People from Ivančice Czech Jews American male classical composers American classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers Jewish classical musicians Jewish American classical composers Baltimore City College alumni Pupils of Roger Sessions 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Presidents of the American Academy of Arts and Letters 20th-century American Jews