left hand piano works

[VicDiesel]

Originally Posted by stevel

It is my understanding that a couple of the more prominent Concerti, or other works for LH were written for people who had lost their right hand in an accident, or, typically with Ravel and people in that time frame, the first or second world war.

I think Ravel's is probably the most famous, and that may have placed (or made it seem like it) more emphasis on the LH.

LH pieces were written before Ravel, some of them arrangements such as Brahms' arrangement of the Bach's vioin Chaconne. That may have been from a point of view of exercising the left hand.

On the other hand (ha ha) Alkan wrote three pieces, one for left, one right, and the third movement both hands in octave movement. All three unplayable....

One of my favourite show-off pieces is Scriabin's nocturne in A for the left hand, which is surprisingly playable if you have large hands (check!): try Ab-D-Gb-C ascending as a chord. Or A-C#-F#-C#. But it's great fun.

Victor.

[Peter Bolton]

Possibly the right hand is more prone to injury, although in Scriabin's case it was through over-practising, which could have affected either arm. I don't know of any right hand works and it would be an interesting exercise to compose some.
I am right-handed but capable of many things with the left. I suspect that losing coordination with the second hand arises mostly from neglect. Pianist and other musicians are perfectly at home with both hands simply through usage.

[Peter Bolton]

PS - you are right!
I had forgotten about Alkan.
Also Fanny Hensel's Eb lied (24.11 1846) begins with 23 bars for right hand alone, an interesting exercise in unsupported chromatic harmony.