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The divisive response to Skyfall* has been making me think about this. Say what you will about Newman's effort, good or bad, but melody is not its strongest ingredient (and let's not confuse melody and motif with theme - they're frequently synonymous, but not always - though that's an argument for another day). But is immediate hummability a necessary attribute for what we listen to?
Honestly, no, I don't think so. And I'm going to use two fan favorites as examples - Total Recall and Die Hard Yes, there is melody present in both (as there is in Skyfall - listen to Severine and Modigliani and tell me otherwise), but they don't carry their respective scores the way John Williams' ones frequently do, and in the latter case the melody that comes closest wasn't even written by its composer. In both, the orchestra and electronics are largely used for rhythm and texture, and they're splendidly done, both in their films and on their own. Granted, it takes less effort to get into a score with melody at the forefront, but since when has instant gratification been a good thing?
So what do you think? Does it have to have a big obvious melody to be good music?
*Yes, I understand the argument that even on a rhythm and texture level, Skyfall is boring/underwhemling. I won't debate that, it's a valid opinion.
