Head's Blog: Wittgenstein and Remembrance

Paul Wittgenstein was a renowned Austrian-American concert pianist (and elder brother of my philosopher hero Ludwig) known for introducing new piano concertos by Ravel, Richard Strauss, Britten and Korngold. What is unusual about these works is that they are written for the left hand alone. Wittgenstein was an amputee, having lost his right arm after being shot in the elbow at the battle of Galicia. Applying novel techniques and after intense practice he was able to play chords and develop a reach with one hand, far beyond what was previously thought possible. There is some footage of Wittgenstien playing Ravel here and an interesting song about his story here.

Despite his injury and subsequent persecution by the Nazi regime, Wittgenstein’s dedication allowed him to bring new art to the world in the years following World War One, which we commemorated with a special assembly and display on Monday. This was led by students who had recently visited the scene and the cemeteries of the battlefields of Ypres and the Somme.

In our student-let Remembrance assembly on Monday, the girls spoke movingly of the way that the dead are remembered and used poetry and images to convey the scale of pain and loss caused by that conflict. Alice was able to share with the school how she had found the grave of her great great great uncle showing pictures of him and sharing the achievements of a life cut too short.

At breaktime we sounded the Last Post and two minutes’ silence were kept in the presence of a special poppy display as pictured below. This was beautifully played for the last time by Year 13’s Jemima who has led similar commemorations for the last seven years – we are very grateful for her poise and musicality (click here to view). The Last Post is seen as a goodbye to the fallen so that they can rest in peace, and our silence shows respect and the intention that their sacrifice be made more meaningful as we seek to end future conflict. 

Sadly, our world still contains distressing conflicts which affect our members of our school community and their families both directly and indirectly. The geo-political situation has become more uncertain since the US election results and students have voiced worries about a future where leaders do not set a good example and seek to divide people and nations against one another.  At this afternoon’s International Gala, I will highlight the value of our afternoon’s celebration as a way of resisting this tide through celebrating our differences, learning about and from each other. Actions like these are small in comparison to global events but it is only through developing mutual respect and understanding that we can overcome baser impulses. As Kamala Harris put it in her concession speech, ‘ (we) have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world.. do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.’