A movement in 18th-century thought that aimed to combat superstition and prejudice and place human betterment above the supernatural. In music, it is reflected in the rise of a simpler, more accessible, galant style, in which graceful melody with a simple accompaniment predominated, replacing the elaborate counterpoint of the late Baroque era. The development of a light, Rococo style in French music after the death of Louis XIV, the reform of the Italian opera libretto towards simpler human dramas apt for treatment in a direct melodic style and the growth of a newly expressive instrumental style in north Germany (the Empfindsamer Stil) are all part of this movement.

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