Abstract
This thesis is a study of the American film composer Jerry Goldsmith s compositional technique, with main focus on his contrapuntal treatment of musical material. Some analytical focus is also given to his motivic and thematic development and use of serial technique. The relation between the music score and the film scene is not given any particular focus, the music itself being the most important aspect. The study is structured by different uses of pedal point through different segments of one-, two-, and three-voice settings.