Left handed compositions!

[Joy]

I have noticed quite a few compositions 'for the left hand' being played on the radio another one was this morning the Piano Concerto in D "For the Left Hand" by Maurice Ravel Conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra with Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Can anyone tell me why these pieces were composed in the first place and when did they get their start? I'm interested in learning more about the history of the left handed pieces, being a 'south paw' myself might have something to do with my interest.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Peter]

The Ravel Concerto was written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in the first world war - he didn't like the work and insisted on changes. In 1939 Alfred Cortot felt that the limitations of a one handed performance were working against it and arranged it for two hands, dismissing objections from the Ravel family saying that no one could tell how many hands were playing it on a radio broadcast!

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'Man know thyself'

[Chris]

There was an episode of M*A*S*H were one of the wounded soldiers was a concert pianist who had lost partial use of his right hand. He was devistated. His doctor, Charles, who was a big lover of classical music, brought him some pieces for the left hand and sat him in front of the piano in the officers' club. The soldier, David, felt better, but was still depressed, since he couldn't "make a career out of a few freak pieces." Charles responded that that was not the point. The point was to show him that the gift was in his head and in his heart, not in his hands, and that he still had plenty to offer through the baton and the pen and the classroom. He said, "I have hands, David. Hands that can make a scalpel sing! I can play the notes. But I cannot make the music."

One of my favorite episodes.

[Joy]

Thanks, I was aware of the Paul Wittgenstein story but not to the extent that you told me so thanks for the information.

Chris, I remember that MASH episode. It was an excellent one as I recall, very touching. Thanks for reminding me of it.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited 11-14-2004).]

[atserriotserri]

Scriabin wrote his first 2 pieces for left hand apparently when contracted tendinitis in his right hand after a "competition" between him and other 2 students of the St. Petersburg (a young man called Rachmaninoff and another whose name elludes me) about who would be the first to master Liszt's Don Juan fantasy. He composed prelude and nocturne op. 9 when he actually thought he could never play again.
I've read that he toured USA in 1906 and the surprise caused by his performance of that pieces caused he was nicknamed "the chopin of the left hand".
Years after he composed "waltz in the manner of johann strauss" (apparently after another tendinitis!) also for left hand.

[Roehre]

I have noticed quite a few compositions 'for the left hand' being played on the radio another one was this morning the Piano Concerto in D "For the Left Hand" by Maurice Ravel Conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra with Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Can anyone tell me why these pieces were composed in the first place and when did they get their start? I'm interested in learning more about the history of the left handed pieces, being a 'south paw' myself might have something to do with my interest.

The Wittgenstein-familiy (the philosopher wittgenstein is his brother) was notoriously rich. Not only Ravel was commissioned. Other works for piano left hand and orchestra were composed for Wittgenstein by a.o. Britten (Diversions), Prokofiev (pianoconcerto no.4), Richard Strauss (Panathenäenzug and Parergon zur Sinfonia domestica), Schmidt (Konzertante Variationen über ein Thema von Beethoven), Korngold (Pianoconcerto) and Hindemith (Konzertmusik für Klavier und Orchester).

Schmidt and Korngold on top of that composed chamber music for wittgenstein too, Schmidt two piano quintets and Korngold a suite for piano and string quartet op.23.


Brahms however produced some music for left hand only as well: A Impromptu nach Schubert- Etüde für die linke Hand .