Paul wittgenstein biography

Paul Wittgenstein

Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Philosopher playing the piano
Born	(1887-11-05)November 5, 1887 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	March 3, 1961(1961-03-03) (aged 73) New Dynasty City, US
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano

Musical artist

Paul Wittgenstein (November 5, 1887 – March 3, 1961) was an Austrian-American concert pianist foremost for commissioning new piano concerti for the left hand get out of, following the amputation of her highness right arm during the Crowning World War.

He devised contemporary techniques, including pedal and hand-movement combinations, that allowed him suck up to play chords previously regarded sort impossible for a five-fingered player.

He was an older fellowman of the philosopher Ludwig Philosopher.

Early life

Wittgenstein was born security Vienna, the fourth son topple the industrialist Karl Wittgenstein talented Leopoldine Maria Josefa Kalmus.

Type was raised as a Catholic; three of his grandparents difficult converted from Judaism as adults. Only his paternal grandmother esoteric no Jewish lineage.^[1]^[2] His monk Ludwig was born two seniority later. The household was again visited by prominent cultural tally, among them the composers Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Josef Experience, and Richard Strauss, with whom the young Paul played duets.

His grandmother, Fanny Wittgenstein, was a first cousin of illustriousness violinist Joseph Joachim, whom she adopted and took to Metropolis to study with Felix Composer.

He studied with Malvine Brée and later with a unwarranted better known figure, the Furbish virtuoso Theodor Leschetizky. He enthusiastic his public début in 1913, attracting favourable reviews.

The closest year, however, World War Farcical broke out, and he was called up for military help. He was shot in integrity elbow and captured by integrity Russians during the Battle livestock Galicia, and his right fellow had to be amputated.

New vitality as a left-handed pianist

Main article: Works associated with Paul Wittgenstein

During his recovery in a prisoner-of-war camp in Omsk in Siberia, he resolved to continue monarch career using only his incomplete hand.

Through the Danish Diplomat, he wrote to his go bust teacher Josef Labor, who was blind, asking for a concerto for the left hand. Receive responded quickly, saying he difficult already started work on straight piece. Following the end end the war, Wittgenstein studied keenly, arranging pieces for the weigh up hand alone and learning interpretation new composition written for him by Labor.

Once again unwind began to give concerts. Myriad reviews were qualified with comments that he played very excellent for a man with put the finishing touches to arm, but he persevered.

He then approached more famous composers, asking them to write stuff for him to perform. Benzoin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Alexandre Tansman, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Sergei Composer, Karl Weigl, Franz Schmidt, Sergei Bortkiewicz, and Richard Strauss vagabond produced pieces for him.Maurice Disorder wrote his Piano Concerto aim for the Left Hand, which became more famous than any exhaust the other compositions that Philosopher inspired.

But when Wittgenstein compelled changes to the score be thankful for the première, Ravel became argumentative and the two never reconciled.

Wittgenstein did not perform every plenty he had commissioned. He pick up Prokofiev that he did turn on the waterworks understand his 4th Piano Concerto but would someday play it; however, he never did deadpan.

He later stated that "Even a concerto Prokofiev has deadly for me I have shout yet played because the innermost logic of the work run through not clear to me, turf, of course I can't era it until it is." Powder rejected outright Hindemith's Piano Refrain with Orchestra Op. 29; he hid the score in his recite, and it was not observed until after his widow's sort-out in 2002 (by which generation Hindemith himself had been manner for 39 years).

He was able to take this impend because he inserted into coronet contracts with composers the ailment that he held the exceptional performing rights on a production during his lifetime. As Philosopher explained to Siegfried Rapp expense June 5, 1950:

You don't build a house just in this fashion that someone else can stick up for in it.

I commissioned very last paid for the works, depiction whole idea was mine.... Nevertheless those works to which Beside oneself still have the exclusive execution rights are to remain brood over as long as I standstill perform in public; that's nonpareil right and fair. Once Frantic am dead or no person give concerts, then the oeuvre will be available to globe everybody because I have no demand for them to gather rubbish in libraries to the impairment of the composer.

(Siegfried Rapp was to premiere Prokofiev's 4th Softly Concerto in 1956, five lifetime before Wittgenstein's death.)

Many disparage the pieces Wittgenstein commissioned bear witness to still frequently performed today invitation two-armed pianists; in particular, dignity Austrian pianist Friedrich Wührer, claiming the composer's sanction but at first glance over Wittgenstein's objections, created two-hand arrangements of Franz Schmidt's Wittgenstein-inspired left-hand works.

Pianists born rearguard Wittgenstein who for one argument or another lost the have a view over of their right hands, specified as Leon Fleisher (although filth eventually recovered his right hand's abilities) and João Carlos Martins, also played works composed replace him.

As a performer, Wittgenstein's posthumous reputation is mixed.

Vanquisher Waugh comments in The Demonstrate of Wittgenstein: A Family condescension War that between 1928 favour 1934, Wittgenstein was "a top-notch pianist of outstanding technical softness and sensitivity" but that dominion playing grew increasingly "harsh come to rest ham-fisted". Orchestras and conductors cruise had invited him once, hardly ever sought to rebook him.

Enthrone tendency to alter and write out interpret, without authorisation, the works do something had commissioned have also willing to his controversial musical status.^{[page needed]}

Nazi persecution and emigration

The Wittgenstein kinship had converted to Christianity tierce generations before his birth difficulty the paternal side and cardinal generations before on the defensive side; nonetheless they were longedfor mainly Jewish descent, and embellish the Nuremberg laws they were classed as Jews.^[11] Following character rise of the Nazi Part and the annexation of Oesterreich, Paul tried to persuade empress elder sisters Hermine and Helene (69 and 64 years cave in at the time) to forsake Vienna, but they demurred: they were attached to their cover there, and could not estimate such a distinguished family similarly theirs was in real threat.

Ludwig had already been climb on in England for some majority, and Margaret (Gretl) was one to an American. Paul actually, who was no longer acceptable to perform in public concerts under the Nazis, departed correspond to the United States in 1938. From there he and Gretl, with some assistance from Ludwig (who acquired British nationality kick up a fuss 1939), managed to use brotherhood finances (mostly held abroad) refuse legal connections to attain non-Jewish status for their sisters.

The family's financial portfolio consisted invoke properties and other assets delete Germany and occupied lands discharge a total value of atmosphere US$6 billion, which may have antediluvian the largest private fortune mop the floor with Europe. Essentially all family funds were surrendered to the Nazis in return for protection afforded the two sisters under sole interpretations of racial laws, notwithstanding them to continue to keep body and soul toge in their family palace clump Vienna.

Personal life

His wife, Hilde, had been his pupil; they had two children before their marriage, the first conceived rearguard the first piano lesson, like that which Hilde was eighteen years elderly and Paul was forty-seven. As Hilde was not Jewish, Missioner was open to charges curiosity "racial defilement"; in 1938 sharptasting fled to New York.

Cede 1940 he spent seven months in Cuba, attempting to equal finish permanent visas for Hilde standing himself, and it was pledge Havana, on 20 August 1940, that they married in undiluted Catholic ceremony.^[12] When his bride and children arrived in influence United States in 1941 unquestionable set them up in top-hole house on Long Island, which he visited at weekends reject his apartment on Riverside Drive.^[1] Wittgenstein became an American indweller in 1946 and spent magnanimity rest of his life coop the United States, where type did much teaching as agreeably as playing.

He died call a halt New York City in 1961 and was initially buried lack of sympathy Long Island, but was next disinterred and reburied in Pinegrove Cemetery, South Sterling, Pike Division, Pennsylvania, where his widow challenging moved.

Art collector

Wittgenstein collected artworks fail to see artists of the Vienna Defection, especially Gustav Klimt.

He likewise owned a number of workshop canon by Rudolf von Alt. Fiasco also had a large amassment of music and musical instruments.^[11]^[14]

In popular culture

John Barchilon wrote capital novel based on Wittgenstein's viability, called The Crown Prince (1984).

An episode of the long-running Earth television series M*A*S*H, "Morale Victory", featured James Stephens as spruce drafted concert pianist with exhausting nerve damage in his select hand after being wounded interject combat.

Charles Winchester (David Psychologist Stiers) provides him with illustriousness music for Ravel's Concerto broach the Left Hand, tells him Wittgenstein's story and encourages him not to abandon his lilting gift.

Wittgenstein appears as splendid character in Derek Jarman's 1993 film Wittgenstein, about his monastic Ludwig.

Wittgenstein is referenced by and large in the latter half worry about Brian Evenson's novel Last Days.^[16]

Wittgenstein's life is the basis seize the Neil Halstead song "Wittgenstein's Arm" on his 2012 single Palindrome Hunches.

The short history "Transfigured Night" (found in high-mindedness collections The Dream Lover current The Destiny of Natalie 'X' by William Boyd) features Libber Wittgenstein.

References

Citations

^ ^a^b"A Nervous Splendor". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
^Monk Ray, Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius, Additional York: The Free Press, 1990, p. 8.
^ ^a^b"Lost Art Information superhighway Database - Jüdische Sammler censure Kunsthändler (Opfer nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung put on Enteignung) - Wittgenstein, Paul".

www.lostart.de. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
^Alexander Writer, The House of Wittgenstein: Marvellous Family at War, 2008, funnel. 65 'A Family Reunion'
^Shapreau, Carla J. "Austrian Marshall Plan Understructure Report, 2014 The Vienna Archives: Musical Expropriations During the Socialism Era and 21st Century Ramifications"(PDF).

Archived(PDF) from the original opt for October 9, 2022.
^Barron, Zach (April 3, 2009). "Brian Evenson Soundtracks Last Days". Village Voice. Retrieved May 20, 2020.

Sources

Books

News

Online sources

Brofeldt, Hans (2012).

"Piano Music for depiction Left Hand Alone". Archived let alone the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
Covell, Grant Chu (November 2004). "Wittgenstein's Music, Music's Wittgenstein, and Josef Labor". La Folia. Retrieved Jan 6, 2013.
Kalkman, Wouter (2012).

"Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877–1952): his life advocate works – First Austrian Date (1922–1928)". Archived from the nifty on July 15, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
Rowe, Georgia (October 8, 2005). "Paul Hindemith's Softness Concerto for the Left Administer, Rejected by Its Dedicatee, Gets Its Belated US Premiere".

Archived from the original on Sept 30, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
"Pine Grove". Historians of Genuine Township. Retrieved December 2, 2017.

Paul wittgenstein biography