Maurice Ravel composed a piano concerto for a pianist who lost his right arm in World War I.

The 'Piano Concerto for the Left Hand' was composed by Maurice Ravel between 1929 and 1930. It was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist who was shot in the elbow and underwent an amputation while serving in World War I. Wittgenstein was the brother of the famous philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and used his family wealth to commission several prominent composers to write left-hand-only repertoire.Ravel spent months studying the technical possibilities of the left hand to ensure the piece did not sound thin or lacking. He specifically utilized the thumb to carry the primary melody while the other four fingers provided the harmonic accompaniment and rapid arpeggios. This arrangement takes advantage of the thumb's natural strength and central position on the keyboard. The result is a sonic texture so dense that it frequently deceives the listener into hearing two hands.The piece premiered in Vienna on January 5, 1932, with Wittgenstein as the soloist. Interestingly, a famous dispute arose between the composer and the pianist because Wittgenstein made unauthorized changes to the score. Ravel insisted that his precise fingerings and arrangements were essential to the intended illusion. Today, the concerto remains one of the most technically challenging and celebrated works in the classical piano repertoire.