Information about this facet is found primarily in literary dictionaries but is largely ignored by musical ones. The other facet is performance , which is discussed primarily in musical dictionaries or treatises, although it occasionally finds its way into general dictionaries of the language. The reader must keep in mind the fact that these two facets are inseparable. The three meanings often merge, however. I have therefore kept esprit in French.
Many dictionaries discuss how a term applies to oratory or to the literary or visual arts.
Although there is no clear carry-over of the German Affecktenlehre to French music, my research shows that the ambiance of a piece does indeed continually change, as the harmony modulates. I have not attempted to write my own definition of a term. Rather, this glossary is a source book into which performers can dip, selecting ideas that seem to apply to a given piece. Notably conservative, the presence of a word means that the term is not a newcomer. The DAF also tends to be rather laconic.