The excerpt I choose is “Shake the cloud from off your brow (Belinda/Chorus)” from Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell.

The more intuitive change in repeatedly listening to this excerpt is the reflection of my attention to it. The first time I listened to this excerpt I only found it pleasant to hear because I would first evaluate an unfamiliar piece of music in general terms with my own preferences. After repeatedly listening to this music, I began to notice details such as instrumentation, phrasing, and dynamics. Since this is an opera piece, the first thing I noticed was the vocals. I would use the vocals to get a feel for the piece, and even the emotional changes in each line. This music went from softly leaning to a firm statement. After repeated listens, I began to try to analyze the emotions from the combined vocals of the harpsichord and cello parts. Interestingly, I initially thought the instruments were just accompanying, but then I realized that the instruments and the female soloist were more like question-and-answer progressions, though they performed in sync. Or that they tell the story as separate and distinct characters. I began to imagine the lute and cello’s characters along with the music. The lute could be a wise servant, while the cello is more like the master of a castle. The lute is very talkative, constantly telling the story with the soloist, while the cello sits in the center and holds the rhythm of the conversation, with a solemn quality.