Bertha Weber

Bertha Anna Weber (March 31, 1887 – April 17, 1961) was an American composer and organist.[1]

Life and career

She was born in New Baden, Illinois,[2] to John and Elizabeth Weber.[3] The family moved to Pomona, California, in 1887. Weber studied music at Pomona College, the University of Southern California, and in Europe.[4] She was an organist at Pomona First Presbyterian Church in 1907, and later at Trinity Methodist Church for a number of years. She moved to Berkeley and maintained a studio at the Hotel Claremont there from around 1924 until she moved to Oakland in 1947. She continued composing and giving music lessons and recitals[5] until her death in 1961, when she committed suicide by stepping in front of a train.[6] She was a member of the professional music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota.[7]

Works

Weber's compositions were published by Willis Music Company.[8] They include:

Opera
  • The Mysterious Characters of Mr. Fu (1932)[9]

Vocal
  • "Abraham Lincoln"[10]
  • "Angels and Shepherds Song"
  • "Lincoln So Brave and True"

References
  1. Cohen, Aaron I. International Encyclopedia of Women Composers (Second, revised and enlarged ed.). New York. ISBN 0-9617485-2-4. OCLC 16714846.
  2. Weber, Bertha (October 16, 2020). "Northern California Composers". sfpl.org. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  3. Weber, Bertha Anna (October 16, 2020). "Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  4. "Bertha Weber Obituary". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. April 23, 1961. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. The Lyre of Alpha Chi Omega. Alpha Chi Omega. 1933.
  6. "Railroad Suicide Identified as Noted Pianist and Composer". Oakland Tribune. April 22, 1961. p. 2. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  7. Pan Pipes of Sigma Alpha Iota. G. Banta Publishing Company. 1967.
  8. Colby, Frank Harvey (1942). The Pacific Coast Musician.
  9. Wlaschin, Ken (2006). Encyclopedia of American Opera. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-2109-6. OCLC 61707101.
  10. Western Journal of Education. 31. Harr Wagner Publishing. 1925. p. 3.
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