Man Made Music also identified a set of qualities the new theme should embody, including the intimacy between “Morning Edition” and its listeners, who often tune in as they prepare for the day; the integrity of the program’s reporting; and the sense of discovery that characterizes its broadcasts.

The firm then presented NPR with a wide-ranging set of themes, each of which paid tribute in some way to the fanfare of the original. After a small group of NPR employees settled on the music that would become the current theme, they shared it with their colleagues.

“We were all holding our breath when we showed it to the entire ‘Morning Edition’ team when it was all done,” Ms. Goldthwaite said. “We were thrilled when they literally busted into dance.”

The new theme features a range of sounds, reflecting the “eclecticism” of NPR, according to Amy Crawford, a vice president at Man Made Music. The instruments used to create it include acoustic and electronic drums, a string ensemble, acoustic piano, piano and keyboard samples, and a pedal steel guitar, she said.

In February, Mr. Mohn, the chief executive, alerted member stations to the change, explaining that audience research had shown that listeners found the old theme to be warm, but not especially “energetic, fresh and modern.” The new theme, he said, “is warm, fresh, weighted, smart, modern, energetic and very human.”