Left handed players

[ahinton]

not to mention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM5SttMyulE

!!!

Even the use of a drumkit is arguably an example of this, albeit to a lesser extent.

Anyway, why does anyone suppose that it is that there seems to be so much more piano music written for left hand alone than for right hand alone?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Anyway, why does anyone suppose that it is that there seems to be so much more piano music written for left hand alone than for right hand alone?

Because
(a) the man who commissioned the best-known compositions for one hand lost his right hand in WW1.
(b) the arrangement of the fingers of the left hand is better suited to play on its own than the right hand.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Even the use of a drumkit is arguably an example of this, albeit to a lesser extent.

An there was I, think it was a form of torture.

[ahinton]

Because
(a) the man who commissioned the best-known compositions for one hand lost his right hand in WW1.
(b) the arrangement of the fingers of the left hand is better suited to play on its own than the right hand.

In regard to (a), without wishing to undermine the significance of Wittgenstein in this area of the repertoire, he didn't, for example, commission Godowsky's 54+ Studien über die Etüden von Chopin (22 of which are for left hand alone), the first of Alkan's Op. 76 études, Brahms' left hand transcription of the Chaconne from Bach's D minor violin partita or no. 36 of Sorabji's 100 Transcendental Studies and the "texture à trois mains" that could be seen as something of a precedent for such writing has its origins well before his time in Thalberg and Liszt; as to (b), that's an interesting proposition but I'm not so sure of its veracity - certainly, Godowsky's left hand ones were written in response to his perception (shared by many others) that most pianists' left hands were weaker than their right ones and to provide pedagogical material with which to address these issues.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Godowsky's left hand ones were written in response to his perception (shared by many others) that most pianists' left hands were weaker than their right ones and to provide pedagogical material with which to address these issues.

This would have been my own suggested answer to your question - the Scriabin Prelude & Nocturne (?Op9?) were also written with the idea of strengthening the Left Hand.

[ardcarp]

Call me old-fashioned, but I'd have been more impressed if they had struck up Liberty Bell (or some such) with all that Heath Robinson kit. I guess a couple of regular percussionists could have produced the same soundscape without all the visuals...or was that part of it? The audience looked sort of embarrassed.

[ahinton]

This would have been my own suggested answer to your question - the Scriabin Prelude & Nocturne (?Op9?) were also written with the idea of strengthening the Left Hand.

Indeed, yet another answer of many possible answers - and yes, it is Op. 9!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Indeed, yet another answer of many possible answers - and yes, it is Op. 9!

After Cyril Smith lost the use of his left hand, there seemed little prospect of him continuing as a right hand only pianist as this would be well-nigh impossible even if music were commissioned. There would be just too much strain on the 3rd, 4th & 5th fingers of the right hand, whereas the left hand would accomplish the same with relative ease.