General characteristics of counterpoint
Part I - foundations of Baroque polyphony
The Baroque period especially had strict rules for consonance and dissonance. composers in the Baroque era learned the techniques of the preceding Renaissance. Early Baroque music was simple, only two voices. Usually in the form of instrumental music. Most often, this early Baroque music was not-against-note. There was sometimes simple elaborations in the melody lines. If a passage was repeated, it was understood that the second time should be highly embellished.
