What pre-whitened music can tell us about multi-instrument compositions

We have discovered remarkable temporal associations between instruments in multi-instrument musical pieces after elimination of melody. This indicates the presence of a compositional ‘structural’ framework among instruments based on dynamic, temporal interactions. We hypothesize that such a framework is at the heart of the process of musical composition. Since similar melodies can be arranged in different ways, resulting in unique compositions, the instrument framework above may be a fundamental aspect of the musical arrangement in the composer’s palette.