Here is John Williams’ iconic theme from Jaws – perhaps one of the most famous pieces of film music ever. There are lots of interesting things about it:
- The very first instrument that you see in this video is a contrabassoon – the big brother of the bassoon.
- Listen for how the music starts off with just one note, and then gradually adds more
- As soon as the second note is added, we recognise the music: this is proof of just how economical – and effective – the music is
- In the film, the music is often used to represent the shark even when we can’t see it. The music tells us everything we need to know – we don’t need to see it on the screen as well.
Hayes Music blog 