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An Analytical Inquiry of Left- Hand Piano Through the Career and Commissions of Paul Wittgenstein

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An Analytical Inquiry of Left- Hand Piano Through the Career and Commissions of Paul Wittgenstein Pianism Reimagined: an analytical inquiry of left- hand piano through the career and commissions of Paul Wittgenstein Emma Scanlon Thesis submitted to Maynooth University for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Music Maynooth University October 2017 Supervisor: Dr. Alison Hood ABSTRACT Proliferation of the concert repertoire for piano left-hand in the early 20th century is predominantly accredited to the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein. Resolved to cultivate a musical career despite the amputation of his right arm in WWI, Wittgenstein commissioned some of the most eminent composers of this period, including Ravel, Prokofiev, Britten, Korngold, Schmidt and Richard Strauss. Despite Wittgenstein’s unalloyed espousal of conservative music, he often chose progressive composers to promulgate his career; an enigmatic decision which remains unsolved. Wittgenstein’s disability and opinionated nature provided a myriad of compositional obstacles culminating in a profound overhaul of stylistic, musical, technical and orchestral approaches for the composers he approached. His career and commissions construct a consequential portrait of the rarefied art of left-hand piano championed by Wittgenstein, depict the demands of this type of performance and the delineate the impact of his disability on his public reception in the early to mid – 20th century. Academic inertia on this topic was largely due to the inaccessibility of the scores, but with the auction of the Wittgenstein archive by Sotheby’s in 2002, many of these works have filtered into the public arena. Generalised inventories of his life and works have been undertaken, but little scholarly analytical work has been carried out on the musical riches he bequeathed us. Consideration of the genre of left-hand piano as a whole, its technical requirements and tropes, has likewise eluded substantial academic consideration. The composers under review in this thesis: Ravel, Prokofiev and Britten, each expounded a disparate sense of musical modernity, all in opposition to Wittgenstein’s own taste. An exploration of the varying approaches to this unique compositional challenge is pertinent not only to our understanding of these venerated composers, but crucial to our growing comprehension of the genre of left-hand piano. The unique transactional relationship between the composition and performance of a left-hand work, moulded decidedly by the physical restrictions of one-hand at the piano, require the consideration of both aspects, and their relationship to one another in order to understand more comprehensively the extraordinary technical demands and compositional idiosyncrasies of left-hand piano. The central part of this thesis reviews these left-handed concertos in the context of each composers individual output, and ascertains through comparative study of earlier works, the incorporation and exposition of new left-hand techniques. Common structural, technical and musical elements employed by the composers in question are identified to work towards a more defined understanding of the external and internal workings of the left-hand piano genre. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend sincere and heartfelt thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Alison Hood, whose patient, skilful and solicitous guidance was wholly appreciated throughout the changing currents of the past four years. I would also like to acknowledge the support and encouragement of Professor Christopher Morris and all the staff of the Music Department at Maynooth University. I am indebted to the Irish Research Council for the financial support granted by their Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, and to Maynooth University for the benefaction of the John and Pat Hume scholarship. These awards facilitated more than just the completion of this thesis, but permitted attendance and presentation at many engaging conferences worldwide, and enabled archival work at the Bodleian libraries, Oxford and the Britten-Pears Foundation archive, Aldeburgh, which brought about a special and abiding connection to the characters that feature in my research. To that end, I extend my gratitude to Colin Harris and Martin Holme of the Bodleian Libraries, and to Dr. Nicholas Clark, librarian at the Britten-Pears Foundation archive, who were exceptionally kind in granting me the privilege of examining many original letters, primary sources and manuscripts. Many thanks to An Foras Feasa, Maynooth University, whose dedicated postgraduate office space proved invaluable over the past four years. I am extremely fortunate to have wonderful circle of friends to whom support, encouragement, strength and devilment come as easily as the air they breathe. Thank you all, you incredible, inspiring people. To my family (old and new!), my brothers, and all tiny family members to whom I am proud Auntie, your support has meant more than you could know. I would especially like to thank my parents for being my greatest cheerleaders in all things I do, for the many coffee fuelled discussions on the intricacies of my research, and their unwavering belief in my abilities. Finally, to my husband and best friend, you took this leap with me four years ago and walked with me on every step of this journey. That this thesis was completed is in large part due to your love, encouragement and humour. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................xv INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 PART ONE: PROLIFERATION, PERFORMANCE AND PERCEPTION .......6 CHAPTER 1: WITTGENSTEIN AND THE EMERGENCE OF LEFT-HAND PIANO MUSIC ...........................................................................................................7 BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................9 Predecessors and Repertoire .................................................................................9 Modern-day Phaeacians ......................................................................................19 CAREER OVERVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS ...............................................29 Reception and Reputation ...................................................................................29 Patron: The Problem of Repertoire .....................................................................59 (i). Josef Labor .................................................................................................67 (ii). Erich Wolfgang Korngold ........................................................................68 (iii). Sergei Bortkiewicz ..................................................................................70 (iv). Franz Schmidt ..........................................................................................71 (v). Paul Hindemith .........................................................................................73 (vi). Rudolf Braun .........................................................................................766 (vii). Eduard Schütt .........................................................................................80 (viii). Karl Weigl .............................................................................................80 (ix). Richard Strauss ........................................................................................81 (x). Maurice Ravel ...........................................................................................82 (xi). Sergei Prokofiev ......................................................................................84 iv (xii). Benjamin Britten .....................................................................................85 (xiii). Alexandre Tansman ...............................................................................89 (xiv). Norman Demuth ....................................................................................89 Wittgenstein as a Teacher ...................................................................................90 Archive and Legacy ............................................................................................95 PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY ..............................................................................99 (i). Conceptual Framework .................................................................................99 (ii). Aims and Objectives ..................................................................................104 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................109 (i). Methodological Approach ...........................................................................109 (ii). Strategy and Research Design ....................................................................113 (iii). Analytical Methods and Categories ..........................................................118 (iv). Originality and Limitations .......................................................................121 CHAPTER 2: VIRTUOSITY AND BODILY ASYMMETRY ..........................126 Aspects of Pianistic Virtuosity
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