Helen L. Weiss (January 29, 1920 - February 20, 1948) was an American composer, pianist and choir director.

Biography

Helen Weiss was born in Brooklyn, New York to Samuel and Sadie (Friedman) Weiss. She had two brothers, Bernard and Frank. The family moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where Weiss attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She earned a B.A. degree in music at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1941; an M.A. degree in music at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in 1942; and a Ph.D. in music composition from the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

in 1944. She also studied music at the Philadelphia Conservatory (today known as University of the Arts). After getting her Ph.D., Weiss taught, composed, and performed as a piano soloist, accompanist, and choir director. She edited notes for the University of Pennsylvania Orchestra programs, was a secretary at McGraw Hill Publishing Company, and worked for the

University of Pennsylvania Museum The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology—commonly known as the Penn Museum—is an archaeology and anthropology museum at the University of Pennsylvania. It is located on Penn's campus in the University City neighb ...

. Weiss traveled to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

in 1945, where she lectured, performed, and organized a choir at the Peruvian-North American Cultural Institute. After becoming ill with cancer, she returned to the United States for treatment which involved amputating her foot. She accepted a job with the U.S. State Department and returned to South America in March 1947. Her cancer recurred in November, and she came home to her family Philadelphia and died in February 1948. Her papers and several recordings are archived at the University of Pennsylvania. Weiss' family and friends created the Helen L. Weiss Music Prize at the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. It is awarded for the best vocal musical composition of each school year. Recipients of the prize have included composers Emily Anna, Ingrid Arauco, Erica Ball,

Jennifer Margaret Barker Jennifer Margaret Barker (born 6 May 1965 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish-American classical composer and pianist. Her compositional style is highly influenced by the landscape, culture and musical heritage of Scotland. She is Professor of Comp ...

, Boaz Ben-Moshe, Kai-Young Chan, Catherine Connell, Nathan Courtright, Sharon Hershey, Myoung-jun Lee, Tony Solitro, Hasan Uçarsu, James Ure, and

Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon (born 1962, in Guadalajara, México) is a Mexican-American composer and chair of the composition department at Eastman School of Music. He received the Helen L. Weiss Music Prize in 1991. His ''Comala'' (2010, Bridge Records ...

Works

Compositions by Helen Weiss include: *''Chorale and Variations'' (piano) *''Declaration'' (orchestra and piano) *''I am the People'' (cantata for mixed chorus) *''Plaint'' *''Sonata in a minor'' *''Suite for Piano'' *''Three Poems for Voice and Orchestra'' (text by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Helen American women composers 1920 births 1948 deaths Musicians from Brooklyn 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century American conductors (music) American choral conductors American women conductors (music) University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Eastman School of Music alumni University of Pennsylvania staff Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania