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

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|birth_date=13 October 1912

|death_date=11 March 1997

|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia, ~~then part of~~ Austria-Hungary

|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia, Austria-Hungary

|photo=5776030312418842.png

|rank_final=Technical Sergeant

|death_place=Long Island, New York

|alias=Hugo David Weisgall

}}

'''[[Weisgall, Hugo D. (13072714)|Hugo David 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.

</div>

== Biography ==

Hugo David Weisgall (13 October 1912~~-11 March 1997) was an American composer and conductor born~~ in Ivančice, Moravia, then ~~part of~~ Austria-Hungary ~~and later Czechoslovakia~~. ~~He moved~~ to ~~the United States as~~ a ~~child,~~ studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Curtis Institute, and earned a Ph.D. In German literature at Johns Hopkins University~~. He also led the Baltimore String Symphony, Baltimore Alliance Symphony Orchestra, and New York Chamber Opera Guild Orchestra~~.

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 and earned a Ph.D. in German literature at Johns Hopkins University (1940).

~~Weisgall~~ trained at Camp Ritchie~~. 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. The performance was reported~~ as ~~the first time~~ an ~~American had conducted the BBC orchestra~~ in ~~its promenade-concert series~~.

During World War II he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 2) and served as a technical sergeant. Contemporary press coverage highlighted his work conducting British orchestras, including the BBC Symphony, while in uniform. After the war he served as an assistant cultural officer in Prague (Foreign Service, from November 1946).

~~After the war~~ Weisgall became ~~a professor and continued composing~~ and ~~conducting. He~~ taught at ~~Queens College~~, ~~the~~ Juilliard ~~School~~, and ~~the Jewish Theological Seminary~~.

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 ==

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| row_source || both

|}

== Timeline ==

* 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.

</div>

</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==

* 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

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 |birth_date=13 October 1912
 |death_date=11 March 1997
-|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia, then part of Austria-Hungary
+|birth_place=Ivančice, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
 |photo=5776030312418842.png
 |rank_final=Technical Sergeant
+|death_place=Long Island, New York
+|alias=Hugo David Weisgall
 }}
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-'''[[Weisgall, Hugo D. (13072714)|Hugo David 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.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-Hugo David Weisgall (13 October 1912-11 March 1997) was an American composer and conductor born in Ivančice, Moravia, then part of Austria-Hungary and later Czechoslovakia. He moved to the United States as a child, studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Curtis Institute, and earned a Ph.D. In German literature at Johns Hopkins University. He also led the Baltimore String Symphony, Baltimore Alliance Symphony Orchestra, and New York Chamber Opera Guild Orchestra.
+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 and earned a Ph.D. in German literature at Johns Hopkins University (1940).
-Weisgall trained at Camp Ritchie. 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. The performance was reported as the first time an American had conducted the BBC orchestra in its promenade-concert series.
+During World War II he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 2) and served as a technical sergeant. Contemporary press coverage highlighted his work conducting British orchestras, including the BBC Symphony, while in uniform. After the war he served as an assistant cultural officer in Prague (Foreign Service, from November 1946).
-After the war Weisgall became a professor and continued composing and conducting. He taught at Queens College, the Juilliard School, and the Jewish Theological Seminary.
+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 ==
@@ Line 120: / Line 122: @@
 | row_source || both
 |}
+== 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.
+</div>
+</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
 == Sources ==
+* 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