 Calling for rapid, percussive string playing, the score contains echoes of La mer by Claude Debussy as well of Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring".There are various interpretations of the meaning and effectiveness of the primary music theme, which is widely described as one of the most recognizable cinematic themes of all time.Music scholar Joseph Cancellaro proposes that the two-note expression mimics the shark's heartbeat.