Could Jaws composer John Williams be about to retire?

John Williams, the multi-Oscar and BAFTA award winning composer of Star Wars, Indiana Jones Superman, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Jaws has hinted that he could be about to hang up his baton.

Steven Spielberg famously said that Jaws owed 50 per cent of its success to the music, music which saw Williams take home an Oscar.

Williams has been a constant collaborator with Steven Spielberg since scoring his big screen debut, The Sugarland Express in 1974.

That working relationship went onto include the four current Indiana Jones films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and - yes, there was a fourth one - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).

All those were helmed by Spielberg, famously never directing any of the Jaws sequels, but only these and Jurrasic Park: The Lost World (1997) when it comes to directing sequels to any of his own films.

That doesn't include the, as yet, untitled fifth Indiana Jones film. He's still.on executive producing duties, but this time it has James Mangold stepping up to film Harrison Ford in his fedora. And with his return we also get the return of John Williams and his Indiana Jones score. He has suggested however that this could very well be his last scoring crusade.

Williams, who turned 90 earlier this year, told the Associated Press: “At the moment I’m working on ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ which Harrison Ford — who’s quite a bit younger than I am — I think has announced will be his last film,” Williams says. “So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”

Although, that doesn't mean there won't be any film activity, after all he recently delivered the theme to Obi-Wan Kenobi. At the moment though he is squarely concentrating on concerts.

And even if Indy 5 is his cinematic swansong his music is all around us, especially in the swimming pool if we are talking the Jaws theme.

John Williams with Jaws director Steven Spielberg

Those two alternating notes - E and F or F and F sharp - represented something primal and relentless in the shark and our fear in Jaws.

It's a far cry from when John Williams first played the Jaws score for Spielberg, he laughed. That's right, the young director thought that Williams was pulling his leg, which is somewhat ironic as that is what the shark would end up doing to the estuary victim.

Spielberg came round and had the following to say on the original Jaws LPs linear notes.

"In doing the score for Jaws...John Williams has really outdone himself. The soundtrack is a stunning symphonic achievement and a great leap ahead in the revitalization of film music as a foreground component for the total motion picture experience...He has made our movie music more adventurous, gripping and phobic than I ever thought possible."

Speaking in an interview to the LA Times, John Williams, said: "It could be something you could play very softly, which would indicate that the shark is far away when all you see is water. Brainless music that gets louder and gets closer to you, something is gonna swallow you up.”

In 2005 the American Film Institute announced Jaws as the sixth greatest American film score of all time. Seems a little low if you ask me! Star Wars took the top spot.

What's also great about the music of John Williams is that his scores are timeless, they don't age. That orchestral score is as vibrant and as exciting as It was on the day it was released in the US, June 20 1975. It is still the score I return to most, whether that by on LP, CD or Spotify.

The method of delivery to my ears may have changed, but Williams' relevance and excellence - for any of his scores - not just Jaws, or the criminally under appreciated Jaws 2, remains a constant.