I have heard that historically composers didn’t frequently include it but, musically and sound wise, is it less suitable or just not needed?
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There are a bunch of pieces written for orchestra that feature the piano, both playing in the orchestra and as a concerto (piano being a solo instrument playing with the orchestra). You see the piano more in “pops” concerts- modern music, or, more famous works that are more palatable to the everyday person. If you look back in history to the composers that everyone thinks of as classical (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart for example) then you have to think about what instruments and settings they had at their disposal. We’re looking at a range from the late 1600s to the early 1800s. A lot of this music was composed to be performed in and for churches and small chambers, which are very different than modern concert halls (Acoustics, size, etc). You also want to look at the history of the piano. The first piano was invented in the early 1700s; it grew up with these composers. Early pianos, referred to as forte pianos, are not what we have today. They more resemble harpsichords and clavichords. They had a softer tone and couldn’t get as loud. Just like today, pianos were very expensive. They were very limited and began working their way in as they became more accessible, but they didn’t reach their current standing till after the three composers I mentioned had passed. Modern composers have fully embraced the piano and have even moved on to current keyboard instruments, laptops and synthesizers. We’ve come a long way since harpsichords and organs to pianos and synths.
It is important to note that these composers used pianos to do the actual composing. They used them to see how the notes and instruments worked together. You could actually play two parts on a piano, something you can’t do on a violin or oboe. The piano did prove itself in those settings and eventually moved to the stage too.
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