Musical Connections

Musical Connections: Where Will Your Journey Take You?

Musical Connections uses special events and playlists to take you on a journey through the fascinating connections that exist between classical music and other types of music, and the connections that all music has with the world around us.

This kind of journey is possible because of two simple facts. First, all types of music are connected to each other through the common elements of what makes music, music: things like melody, harmony, rhythm, and the ability to express and create a feeling or mood. Second, songwriters and composers are shaped and inspired by the world around them so their music necessarily expresses the connections to it that they see and feel.

By using these connections as an entry point and guide to the world of classical music, you are embarking on a journey that will deepen your enjoyment of all music, and perhaps you’ll even see the world around you in a different light.

We hope you will enjoy listening to and exploring these playlists. If you would like to receive notices of when new playlists are added, and learn about upcoming Musical Connections events, email us here.

Using Spotify Playlists: To enjoy the full playlist you will need an account with Spotify. To create a free account, simply click on the playlist title or one of the songs and you will be prompted to create an account (or to sign in if you already have an account). There is no requirement to provide credit card information or incur any other obligation. With a free account you get full access to the music and will periodically have ads play in between songs.

A Place of Peace and Calm

When we listen to music that moves slowly, peacefully, and calmly – not to mention beautifully – it helps us slow down and center ourselves. This new Musical Connections playlist will provide you with a sanctuary of peace and calm that will relax, recharge, and restore you.

Coming Soon – A New Musical Connections Program:

A Time for Peace and Calm

(Join the email list to be notified)

Perhaps the biggest connection music can make is to ourselves. When we listen to music that moves slowly, peacefully, and calmly – not to mention beautifully – it helps us slow down and center ourselves. This Musical Connections program will provide you with a sanctuary of peace and calm that will relax, recharge, and restore you. It will also feature some of the most beautiful music ever written!

Past programs include Orchestras and Ecosystems at Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust; Gardens, History, and Music at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House; Beer, Wine, & Music at Buzzards Bay Brewing; Beethoven for the Birds at Dartmouth National Resources Trust; Beethoven and The Beatles at AHA! Night in New Bedford; Classical Music and IPAs at Groundwork New Bedford; and Musical Connections: The Journey Begins at New Bedford Co-Creative Center.

Musical Connection’s First Playlist

This playlist helps illustrate some of the basic points we like to make about musical connections (plus – just by coincidence – it’s all music that we really like). For example, in rock, pop, and folk music, songs are usually made up of verses and choruses that alternate back and forth. That is exactly what Handel does in the first piece, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. In the next piece, the third movement from Dvorak’s Symphony No. 4, there is also an alternating structure that is similar to verse and chorus but he starts with an introduction that really builds up an exciting anticipation before the verse/theme begins. This is also a great example of how classical music can be used to create a sense of motion that propels us forward and then transitions into a new feeling or mood. The next two pieces (#3 and #4) are by Tchaikovsky and Bach and simply show how different the piano can be made to sound depending on what mood or feeling the composer wants to create for us. Pieces #5 and #6 are slow, beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing – need I say more? Next we have a short piece by Bach called Bouree, which has an irresitible melody that has been covered by Jethro Tull and was the inspiration for Blackbird by The Beatles. The rest of the playlist is filled with pieces by Mozart, Sibelius, and Brahms and shows how diverse and creative composers can be in using all the basic elements of music. If you listen to this playlist a few times, whether as background music or in a more focused way, We think you might start to fall in love with some of the pieces. Please take your pick – it’s up to you!

Mozart and His Piano Concertos (Fast Movements Edition)

No composer seems to be more on a “musical mission” than Mozart. His music has such a strong sense of direction and forward movement that you can’t help but feel that Mozart knows exactly where he wants to take us and how to get there. All music (or at least almost all music) conveys a sense of motion that periodically transitions to a feeling of rest. The fast movements of Mozart’s piano concertos deliver this feeling in a very clear and powerful way. We think that is what makes them so energetic and delightful – yes, they are full of many delights! By the way, this is a great playlist to listen to when working out!

Special note: When listening to Piano Concerto No. 22 (song #7 on this list) be sure to hear the change of mood Mozart creates around the 4:15 minute mark. For the first four minutes it’s all rollicking fun and high energy, and then suddenly he decides to go slow and sublime. It’s really beautiful. And then of course he returns to the initial fast-paced mood for a wonderful ending.

Symphony on Tap 2023 & 2024

Our Symphony on Tap concerts are probably the most fun things we do every year. We have a full orchestra playing in a club setting where people can stand next to the orchestra, hang out at a hightop table, and enjoy the beverage and trendy foods of their choice. Here is the music we played at our last two performances.

Nature, Birds & Music

Nature and birds have always fascinated and inspired classical music composers. Countless composers both past and present have immersed themselves in nature to feed their creativity and to explore the connections between music and the natural world. Birds, of course, are the most obvious and delightful example of where nature and music meet on common ground. When you listen to music inspired by nature, we think you will often sense a feeling of gratitude that composers feel for the way nature inspires and sustains them. When you listen to this playlist the titles of each song will help you get in the mood for what is to come. (Translator’s note: Debussy’s Clair de Lune is “Moonlight” and Smetana’s The Moldau is a river that runs though the Czech countryside to the city of Prague.) For Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 be sure to hover over the three dots at the end of each title line to get the full name he gave to each symphonic movement. They tell the story of a day in the country, and in the last three minutes of the second movement, Beethoven creates three bird calls – Nightingale, Quail, and Cuckoo – using the flute, oboe, and clarinet (he actually wrote the names of the birds on the music score to help musicians what they were playing)!

Listening to the Eclipse

We created this playlist for the Great Eclipse of 2024. Music inspired by the sun, the moon, and the heavens for your listening pleasure.

A Journey into the Music of William Walton

This is a story about expanding our musical horizons. Until NBSO Music Director Yaniv Dinur told us that he wanted us to perform William Walton’s Symphony No. 1, we had never heard of Walton or listened to any of his music. So we figured that if the orchestra was going to perform Walton’s music we better listen to it first! We started with his Symphony No. 1 and after a few listens we really started to like it. At first it was just a couple of sections that got us, and then gradually the whole piece started to take hold. (We recommend listening to it loudly in your car.) That is how our journey into the music of William Walton began and we’ve just kept going, listening to a bunch of his other pieces and discovering what we like. Walton’s music has a lot of drama and energy in it, and it is extremely inventive. You never really know what is going to happen next, but it’s pretty much always something good. Most of Walton’s music is not something you will listen to in order to unwind and relax. Instead, you should expect to get revved up, thrilled, and energized. At times it may even leave you breathless (so don’t forget to breathe)! Our advice to any new listener to Walton’s music is this: hold onto your seat and enjoy the ride. (By the way, Walton led a pretty fascinating life; if you want to delve into that, a good place to start is here.

Please Note: Instructions for accessing the playlist are located in the introduction section at the top of the page.

Musical Connections