As a solo instrument, the modern piano is second to none. Even if its expressive qualities don’t match those of some of the string instruments or of the human voice, its range of pitch, dynamics, and coloring makes it the most complete instrument. Because of its harmonic capabilities and its range, all other solo instruments enlist its services most of the time. Seldom do composers write for any other instrument alone, without the accompaniment of the piano. Its repertoire is enormous, composed for it during the past two hundred years or so. Not all of this music is of the best quality, of course, but many of the greatest composers overwhelmingly favored the piano to other solo instruments.
-Gyorgy Sandor in On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound and Expression
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