Dorothy Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Does regarding melody as the most important element in music (and I plead
>guilty here) make one prosaic rather than poetic?

It can be (and has been) shown that rhythm is the most important element
in music.  This often surprises but it can be easily demonstrated that a
"tune" (i.e.  melody) cannot exist without its underlying rhythm whereas
rhythm can identify a tune. The Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin
demonstrates this effectively in his "Carmen Ballet Suite", for example.
It can also be easily and quickly demonstrated on, say, the piano with a
simple folk tune.

David Pitzer