ABSTRACT. The matter of timbre in piano interpretation is pretty catchy when it comes to teaching and learning this instrument. In connection with the affirmative or negative answer to the question whether the interpreter might be able to change the timbre of the instrument while the work is in progress, interpretation conceptions and methodological points of view found their, often opposite, identities – which were in turn defended by their respective adherents in sometimes fiery arguments. The beginning of the 20th century, with its obvious advance in technical matters, made it possible for us to more fully investigate the matter, with benefit from physics (acoustics) and mathematics, for example, and their impact is still on the rise. Surprising though it may be, the strictly scientific explorations (of a phenomenon that could well be of an essentially physical nature) have just failed to provide the ultimate insight, which is why pro and against arguments come up in each and every particular case. Under the circumstances, we purport to make a survey of the subject matter, to sum up the state of things, to examine the alternative opinions (with arguments borrowed from the psychology of music) and to finally come up with an answer that, even if not intended to be definitive, could give a wellbalanced, far-reaching judgement. pp. 27–37

Keywords: norm, timbre, interpretation, piano studies, variance, acoustics, psychology