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Weisgall, Hugo D. (13072714): Difference between revisions

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|surname=Weisgall
|surname=Weisgall
|first=Hugo
|first=Hugo
|middle=D.
|middle=David
|class_rank=T/5
|class_rank=T/5
|birth_year=1912
|birth_year=1912
|death_year=1997
|death_year=1997
|nativity=Cz
|nativity=Czechoslovakia
|enlistment_place=BALTIMORE MARYLAND
|enlistment_place=BALTIMORE MARYLAND
|state=U.S. AT LARGE
|state=U.S. AT LARGE
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|birth_date=13 October 1912
|birth_date=13 October 1912
|death_date=11 March 1997
|death_date=11 March 1997
|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia (then part of Austria-Hungary, later in
|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
|photo=5776030372418836.jpg
|rank_final=Technical Sergeant
|death_place=Long Island, New York
|alias=Hugo David Weisgall
}}
}}


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'''[[Weisgall, Hugo D. (13072714)|Hugo D. Weisgall]]''' (13 October 1912 – 11 March 1997) was a Ritchie Boy (from Czechoslovakia) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 2.
'''[[Weisgall, Hugo D. (13072714)|Hugo David Weisgall]]''' (13 October 1912 – 11 March 1997) was a Moravia-born composer and Ritchie Boy (Class 2) who conducted Allied musical forces in Britain and later wrote major American operas.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Hugo David Weisgall (October 13, 1912 – March 11, 1997) was an American composer and conductor, known chiefly for his opera and vocal music compositions. Weisgall studied at the Peabody Institute, privately with Roger Sessions, and at the Curtis Institute of Music with conductor Fritz Reiner and composer Rosario Scalero. Weisgall came from a family of several generations of cantors, and maintained a lifelong interest in both sacred and secular Jewish music. Other major works include his most ambitious opera, Athaliah (libretto: Richard Frank Goldman, after Jean Racine), and his often-performed Six Characters in Search of an Author (libretto: Denis Johnston, after Luigi Pirandello). Hugo Weisgall died at the age of 84 on Long Island, New York. From a transcript of an interview he gave, here is some military-related information Hugo decided to enlist, instead of being drafted. Stephen Goodell passed along some more articles and photos of Hugo Weisgall. The famous composer and conductor? He was born in Ivančice, Moravia (then part of Austria-Hungary, later in his childhood Czechoslovakia) and moved to the United States at the age of eight. He later earned a Ph.D. in German literature at Johns Hopkins University. During World War II he was an aide-de-camp to General George S. After the war he became a professor, and taught at Queens College, the Juilliard School, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, all in New York City. His notable students include composers Dominick Argento, Bruce Saylor and the accordionist/composer William Schimmel. In 1992 he was commissioned by the Friends of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary to write a song cycle, Psalm of the Distant Dove, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. The above information taken from Wikipedia Attached is Washington Post article, dated July 30 1943.
Hugo David Weisgall was born on 13 October 1912 in Ivančice (Eibenschütz), Moravia, then in Austria-Hungary. His family emigrated to Baltimore in 1920; he became a U.S. citizen in 1926. He studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Curtis Institute, earned a Ph.D. in German literature at Johns Hopkins University (1940), and led ensembles including the Baltimore String Symphony.
 
Weisgall trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 2). A 1943 newspaper report identifies him as a technical sergeant assigned to London as a liaison between the United States and governments in exile. While serving in the Army he conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall on 29 July 1943 before an audience of about 6,000 for the premiere of his overture ''American Comedy 1943'', which he had begun while training at Camp Ritchie—reportedly the first time an American had conducted the BBC orchestra in its promenade-concert series.
 
After the war he served as an assistant cultural officer in Prague (Foreign Service, from November 1946). Weisgall became one of the leading American opera composers of his generation—works include ''The Tenor'', ''The Stronger'', ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'', and ''Esther''—and taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Juilliard, and Queens College. He died on 11 March 1997 on Long Island, New York.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* DEML instruction team
* DEML instruction team
* OCR (83%) of `5774657545889452.jpg` (Camp Ritchie) — rank mentioned: Sergeant.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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Weisgall_Hugo_D_13072714_Stars_and_Stripes_1943-07-30.jpg|Stars and Stripes, 30 July 1943 — “U.S. Sergeant Leads BBC Symphony” (composite clipping; RB Archive)
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== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 13 October 1912 — Born in Ivančice, Moravia.
* 1920 / 1926 — Emigrated to Baltimore; naturalized U.S. citizen.
* 1940 — Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University.
* Camp Ritchie Class 2 — Military intelligence training; wartime conducting in Britain.
* 13 November 1946 — Assistant Cultural Officer, Praha (Foreign Service).
* Postwar — Operas and teaching (JTS, Juilliard, Queens College).
* 11 March 1997 — Died on Long Island, New York.
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* [[:File:Weisgall_Hugo_D_13072714_Stars_and_Stripes_1943-07-30.jpg|Stars and Stripes, 30 July 1943 — coverage related to Weisgall (RB Archive)]]
* RB Archive wartime clippings (Stars and Stripes; BBC Symphony coverage)
* [https://milken.aviaryplatform.com/r/n872v2d384 Milken Archive Aviary recording — Hugo Weisgall interview]
* [https://www.milkenarchive.org/oral-history/view/weisgall-hugo Milken Archive oral history — Hugo Weisgall (31 May 1995)]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Weisgall Wikipedia — Hugo Weisgall]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-09 (2 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-09 (2 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-16 (2 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-10-16 (2 posts)
* [[:File:5774657545889452.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5774657545889452.jpg]]
* [[:File:5774657545889452.jpg|New York Times report on Weisgall conducting the BBC Symphony, 29 July 1943]]
* [[:File:5776029939085546.png|Baltimore newspaper report, ?Weisgall Leads 3 Big British Orchestras?]]
* [[:File:5776029992418874.png|Continuation of Baltimore newspaper report]]
* [[:File:5776030265752180.jpg|Newspaper report, ?Local Soldier?s Overture To Get British Premiere?]]
* [[:File:5776030049085535.png|Continuation of newspaper report on Weisgall]]
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