[GerateWohl]

I think it’s important to distinguish between texture and timbre. As Copland describes in What to Listen for in Music, texture is more what we would call polyphony, homophony, or monophony, depending. Timbre is the use of instrumental color for effect. His main elements of music are rhythm, harmony, timbre, texture, form, and yes, melody. I feel bad for people who only listen for melodies. Interesting music comes form knowing when and how to use all the elements.

I agree 100%. What annoys me at a lot of modern soundtracks that most younger composers (but also older ones like Hans Zimmer, Chris Young or Alex Desplat, but also Michael Giacchino) are using ostinati like some kind of loop in techno. That often makes their melodies sound very monotone. And ostinato shouldn’t be an end in itself but support or counterpoint the melody. So, as the melody, evolves the counterpoint should, too.

I agree, that sometimes such a monotone ostinato can generate a nice effect. But in the meantime this seems to have become the basic architecture of most orchestral film scores.

For purely textural scores it is something different. I grt that. But if I use melody, I should write an appropriate accompaniment.

Unless I do pop or techno. But then I don’t need an orchestra.