Final Thesis - John Williams - ScholarsArchive at Oregon State ...

y that music as anybody did that built the shark. Because you see that shark when
you hear that music” (Bachar).
The “Main Title” and “Chrissie’s Death” both contain bass chromatic tones,
which merge into the indefatigable shark theme, along with interspersed dissonant
chords. As these pieces reach their climaxes, it adds in other stringed instruments to
accompany the deeper shark theme. It finally lets loose with more brass and
stringed dissonant chords, with smaller moments of harp presences added in. The
sound of these pieces sounds similar to horror scores by Bernard Herrmann, which
attests to his influence in Williams’ career. In “Preparing the Cage,” we hear both
Quint’s sea chanty, as well as an intense fugue that characterizes the suspense of the
scene. The piece “Night Search” on the score has ominous undertones that evoke
emotions of fear and curiosity, by using musical cues created by ascending string
notes and repetitive flute notes. It also contains a reprise of the shark theme which
ultimately culminates in sharp string glissandos. “Sea Attack Number One” is one of
the most intense pieces in the score, which starts as a compilation of the “Out to Sea”
and shark themes, but instead of finishing in the previous way with dissonant
chords, John Williams expertly adds in fanfare with the revealing of the shark’s
magnitude. A foil to this piece is “One Barrel Chase” which opens with the shark cage
fugue heard in “Preparing the Cage” along with the shark theme, and merges into a
more upbeat adventurous theme. “The Underwater Siege” is another example of
how Bernard Herrmann’s style influenced Williams especially this early in his
career. This piece heavily relies on string glissandos, similar to Herrmann’s style in
Psycho and Twelve Mile Reef. Finally with “End Title,” Williams reprises a calmer
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