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The g reatest advantage w h i c h p i a n o m u s i c h a s ove r the m u s i c o f other i nstruments i s that it i s s e l f - accompa n y i n g . Therefore, as a so l o i ns t r u m e n t i n t h e s t r i c t sense of the word, the p i a no s tands a l most supreme. The m u s i c o f the p ia n o i s a l so i nd i spensa b l e i n accompany i n g o t h e r so l o i nstru ments. These two advantages j us t i f i a b l y acco u n t for the ma rked popu l a r i ty of the i nstrument a n d i ts master, both i n the rec i t a l roo m a n d i n the home. I t i s sa fe people study a l l m u s t p l ay, essen t i a l pa rt
to say t h a t i n the cou n t r i es w i th the h i g hest c i v i l i za t io n more piano than a n y other m u s i ca l i ns t r u m e n t . I t seems t h a t and i n some schoo l s p i a no- study i s g i ven i n the g rades as a n o f t h e c h i l d ' s educ a t i o n .
The word " p i a n i st" i s d e r ived f rom t h e word " p i a no, " mea n i ng " soft . " T h e i nstrument's fu l l n a m e i s " p i a n o - forte," mea n i ng l i tera l l y " soft - l o ud . " I n p i a no compos i t ions, some compo�ers have pl aced tr.e g reater empha s i s o n t h e " forte" s i de, a nd therefore, a s o n e w r i ter suggesis, m ; g h t better be ca I I ed "forti sts, " rather than p i a n ists. When used i n the r i g h t m a n n e r the p i a n o i s a d e l ight to be h e a r d . Chop i n i s one of the f i ne composers who rea l l y g a v e h i s a t t e n t i o n t o t h e b e s t qual i t i es of the p i a no . Chop i n , w h o m i g h t be ca l l ed t h e f i rs t of t h e i m press i o n i sts, i s the true a post l e of textu ral bea u ty. P roba b l y no g reater del icacy o r subtl ety c a n be found i n the pages of a n y piano music, than was g iven to some of h i s compos i t i ons. His art is a l so one o f p l a n g e n t rhyth ms a n d r i c h sono r i t ies. At a n oppos i te po l e f rom C hop i n in p i a n o music one f i nd s L i sz t, who i l l ustra tes what we often f i nd to-day i n the abuse of the p i a no . Wh i l e hav i ng much tec h n i c a l i n terest a nd even m u s i c a l bea u ty i n h i s com pos i t ions, one cannot g e t away f rom the fact that he is merely a v i rtuoso. The n o i se and spec i a l effec ts a re a l ways paramount i n h i s compos i t i o n s a n d exe m p l i f i ed i n h i s own p l ay i n g . L i s z t ' s boast w a s t h a t a n orchestra cou l d d o noth i n g t h a t he cou l d n o t reprod uce on t h e p ia n o-a n a t t i tude w h i c h he w i l l have t o b e g i ven c red i t f o r t r y i n g t o a b ide by. "The 'ove r - wh e l m i ng schoo l ' , " says Da n i e l Greg o ry Mason, "has on the whol e fa i l ed to hold our i n terest. I t l eaves us bored and i n d i fferen t . " The fundame n t a l d u t i es o f t h e p i a n i s t a re t o g ive t h e h e a r e r someth i n g w h i c h w i l l r e l a x h i s m i nd , somet h i n g t o ponder a bout, a n d , a bove a l l , some t h i ng to e n j oy t h rough the p u r i f i c a t i on of a l l h i s fanc i e s a n d t h e i n sp i ra t ion of h i s i deal s .
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