Adapting to Loss of Limbs: The Stories of Two Musicians - Django Reinhardt and Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein (unknown photographer) and Django Reinhard (photo by William P. Gottlieb, ca. 1946). Wikimedia Commons
Having strong and competent hands is important to being a musician; a lot of our hard work comes down to training our hands to do the right thing at the right time. But what about those who are missing limbs? Here are two snapshots of influential musicians, Django Reinhardt and Paul Wittgenstein, who rose to prominence through adapting their technique to a physical disability.
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt, born in 1910, is considered one of the most influential and innovative jazz guitarists of all time. Growing up between Romani settlements in Belgium and northern France, he picked up the guitar as a child. He was illiterate and could not read music, so he learned to play by ear. At age 18, his caravan caught fire and he sustained serious injuries, including burns to the fourth and fifth fingers of his left hand. Doctors said he would never play again – but he retaught himself, and in the process pioneered an innovative new approach to jazz and guitar technique in general.
In 1934, after being introduced to American jazz, he became a part of the “Quintette du Hot Club de France,” with famous jazz violinist Stephane Grapelli. Their style was a blend of American jazz with European and Romani folk. As a result of his injuries, Reinhardt developed new guitar techniques: he was known for his fast and virtuosic runs, played with only his first and second fingers. He could use his damaged fourth and fifth fingers together as one; he would play three note chords and arpeggios, and quickly shift them up and down the fingerboard. This broke from the convention of playing chords and arpeggios within one fret position. These advancements to guitar technique were incredibly important to the next generation of jazz guitarists, and these changes came as a direct result of adapting his style to his injury.
Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein was born into a wealthy family in Vienna, the older brother of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. His tycoon father disapproved of music as a career, but after he died in 1913, Paul made his public debut. He was drafted to fight in WW1 only one year later. While in Russia in 1914, he was shot in his right arm, and it was amputated.
He resolved to continue playing with only his left hand. He was admired for the hard work he put into adapting and refining new techniques. In his published book “School for the Left Hand,” he teaches fingering, pedalling, and methods of spreading chords to give the impression of two-handed playing. He also rearranged many famous works, including Chopin etudes, Bach preludes, Mendelssohn songs and Wagner arias. Thus, he was able to adapt the works he knew and loved to his disability.
Wittgenstein is now remembered primarily for his commissions: over a 30-year period, he commissioned a total of 17 piano concertos for the left hand. This list includes works by Britten, Strauss, Hindemith, Prokofiev, and, most famously, Ravel. However, Wittgenstein was a tough customer and was notorious for making unauthorised changes to the score. Despite this, his legacy remains positive through his advancement of left-hand technique and his commissions. Through these actions, he made it clear that virtuosic, texturally full, moving and lyrical works can be written for left hand alone, and paved the way for future left-hand pianists, providing them with lots of repertoire!