doctrine of the affections

Noverre's ideas on dance and performance were well-suited to the new culture in Germany based on the doctrine of emotions and "sensibility" known as Affektenlehre (Doctrine of the affections), and, when an invitation to serve the Duke of Württemberg's court was extended him, Noverre accepted.

The doctrine of the affections, also known as the doctrine of affects, doctrine of the passions, theory of the affects, or by the German term Affektenlehre (after the German Affekt; plural Affekte) was a theory in musical aesthetics popular in the Baroque era (1600-1750).