Have you ever heard of Paul Wittgenstein? I hadn’t until recently. His story is pretty amazing so I thought I’d share. Here’s a brief rundown:
Paul Wittgenstein was an Austrian-American concert pianist notable for commissioning new piano concerti for the left hand alone.
Despite being a son of one of the wealthiest Viennese families of the early Twentieth Century, Wittgenstein’s family life was not an entirely happy one. Although his father, Karl, was an amateur violinist and an avid supporter of the arts, he was utterly against his sons' involvement in them.
As a young child, his home was visited by many composers, including Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Josef Labor, and Richard Strauss. He would go on to study piano and made a public debut in 1913; (Brahms likened the family atmosphere to that of being in court), and it was only after the death of three of his sons, who tragically took their own lives, that Karl relented and allowed Paul and his younger brother Ludwig (who would become a celebrated philosopher) to pursue artistic endeavours. It is perhaps interesting to note, however, that Paul waited until after his father’s early death to make his debut.
When World War I broke out, he was called up for military service and was shot in the elbow and captured by the Russians during the Battle of Galicia, and his right arm had to be amputated. Nonetheless -- while a prisoner of war in Siberia -- Wittgenstein became determined to overcome this disability, and to play the piano before audiences again.
After the war ended, Wittgenstein continued to study the concerto, and shortly began giving concerts again. The reviews for his concerts were seen as merciful; but Wittgenstein was determined to not be known for his oddity.
After the war ended, Wittgenstein continued to study the concerto, and shortly began giving concerts again. The reviews for his concerts were seen as merciful; but Wittgenstein was determined to not be known for his oddity. He didn’t want to be applauded for being able to traverse arrangements of mainstream repertoire in spite of his disability, acclaim that would unavoidably be tainted with sympathy or charity. Instead, Wittgenstein wanted works that would show his prowess as a musician, regardless of his disability.
Here the Wittgenstein wealth came in handy. He commissioned work from leading composers including Prokofiev, Strauss, Hindemith, Korngold and many others, and always insisted on exclusive performing rights.
Unfortunately, his tastes were for nineteenth century style Romantic music, not the avant garde compositions favoured by people like Hindemith and some hilarious fallings out occurred...
Pieces he did not like, he did not play, In 1931 he wrote to Prokofiev:
“Thank you for the concerto, but I do not understand a single note in it, and I will not play it.”
Another pianist who had lost his arm in the War was to play that piece for the first time in 1956.
Wittgenstein also fell out badly with Ravel, because he made his own changes to the new Concerto in D for the Left Hand, without any consultation.
The musician Ivan Ilic has suggested that Wittgenstein may not have been familiar with the actual work of the composers whom he commissioned, being guided instead by their prestige, saying:
“If Wittgenstein had been more familiar with Ravel’s compositional style there is no way that he would have been surprised with the result.”
Prokofiev said of him:
“I don’t see any special talent in his left hand.”
There was a failure in communication between Wittgenstein and composer Paul Hindemith too. Hindemith wrote the Klaviermusik in 1924, but when Wittgenstein read it, he did not understand the work, so he hid it and never played it. The world thought the piece was lost until it resurfaced in his papers after his wife passed away.
Under the Nuremberg laws the family was classified as Jews. Paul was not permitted to play public concerts under Nazi rule. Paul and his family fled to New York, so Wittgenstein could play and teach.
In 1942, Benjamin Britten wrote his Diversions for the left hand, and that was the last piece that Paul would ever commission. Paul Wittgenstein passed away in 1961 in New York City and is buried in Pinegrove Cemetery, Pennsylvania.
Although his commissions were written for only one hand; the pieces are still frequently performed to this day by two-armed pianists. Wittgenstein has inspired other one-handed pianists like Leon Fleisher and João Carlos Martins to continue down the path of performing.
Wittgenstein's tendencies to rewrite and alter music without the composers’ authorizations and being regarded as a world-class pianist leaves his reputation mixed throughout the world. Nonetheless, he is remembered as a man of determination and passion. He will continue to inspire others to prove their passions are strong enough to not be defined by limitations.
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