Win Ben Stein's Money - Music

Music

Various pieces of classical music were used as the themes. The opening theme was the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, which was repeated to begin the second round, and again if the champion won the $5,000. The closing theme was Ride of the Valkyries, from Richard Wagner's The Valkyrie. (The Ride of the Valkyries was also played in the contestants' headphones in the isolation booth, to prevent them from hearing the other contestant's answers.) Other classical music pieces used on the show included:

• Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme by Johann Sebastian Bach (at the beginning of the show where Stein introduces himself).
• Water Music by George Frideric Handel (leading to first commercial break).
• Spring from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (Coming out of the first commercial break).
• Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (leading into the second commercial break).
• Trepak (a/k/a "The Russian Dance") from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (used to segue to the final commercial break).
• Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky (coming out of the final commercial break and cuing to the final round).