In the true holiday spirit of giving, several readers have generously contributed more support for pronouncing "multitimbral" as "multi-TAM-brul." Just a few of the submissions:
Robert D: "Come on guys, keep it simple. The word is obviously derived from the root word "timbre" which is in the dictionary. And, according to the dictionary, "timbre" is pronounced "tam-ber," plain and simple. I admit the spelling would lead you to believe that the word is pronounced "tim-ber," but it is a French word, so we are stuck with saying it their way. Is it time for a rebellion in favor of pure phonetic spelling and pronunciation of our beloved English language? Actually, yes, but I think it a battle for scholars not musicians. But it is tempting… are we not the voice of the people?"
Steven S: "When I was in college (rewind to pre-MIDI / analog Moog days), I was fortunate enough to stumble into the hands of a genius. His name is Professor William Hoskins. Among the many lessons and tidbits of wisdom and kindness he deposited into my life, he related the following information to me when using the term ‘timbre’. It is a French word originally and thus his pronunciation (TAM – bruh) was based on this fact."