Empfindsamkeit
German era
Definition
The \"sensitive style\" (Empfindsamkeit) — a North German aesthetic of intense, direct emotional expression through singing melody, sudden harmonic surprises, and rapid changes of affect. C.P.E. Bach is its central keyboard exponent.
Interpretive Guidance
Respond to every dynamic and expressive marking with full commitment; contrasts between tender and turbulent passages should be immediate, not gradual. The style rewards personal projection over mechanical correctness.