What is a defining feature of Baroque music?

The defining feature of Baroque music is its elaborate ornamentation and counterpoint. During the Baroque period, composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel developed intricate musical lines that wove together multiple melodies, a technique known as counterpoint. This involved intermingling different musical voices in such a way that they complemented and enhanced each other, creating rich and complex textures.

Additionally, ornamentation was a key characteristic, where musicians would embellish melodies with trills, turns, and other decorative notes to enhance expressiveness and showcase technical skill. This intricate interplay and the lavishness of ornamentation reflect the period's artistic values, emphasizing complexity and emotional depth in composition and performance.

The other aspects of Baroque music include rhythmic and harmonic innovations, but they do not distinguish the Baroque style in the same way that ornamentation and counterpoint do.