When he was young, Frank J. Oteri was taught that, unlike Broadway tunesmiths, “classical composers did [their orchestration] themselves since timbre was as important a concern to them as pitch and rhythm. … [But I’ve] grown to realize that despite claims to the contrary, the sanctity of classical music’s timbres is not something that most performers or listeners place on the same level as the accuracy of pitch and rhythm. Otherwise why would so many concert pianists play the music of Johann Sebastian Bach or even Debussy, whose preferred Érard sounds noticeably different from the ubiquitous Steinways in today’s concert halls and recording studios?”