Final answer:
The Baroque music style characterized by imitative counterpoint is known as a fugue. This complex form involves subsequent voices imitating the main theme, and it became an iconic expression of the Baroque era, distinct from other forms like chorales, oratorios, and toccatas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Baroque music style developed mainly through imitative counterpoint is the fugue. This form of composition involves the interplay of multiple voices that enter successively and imitate the first voice's theme, creating an intricate and harmonious structure. The fugue became a pinnacle of Baroque music and showcases the era's appreciation for complexity, emotion, and dynamic expressions.
One of the most notable composers of fugues was Johann Sebastian Bach, who skillfully crafted these compositions to exhibit the characteristics of Baroque music—movement, tension, and resolution. This period also saw the development of different vocal and instrumental forms, including oratorios, sonatas, and concertos, all of which reflected the grandeur and ornate qualities associated with the Baroque era.
It is important to distinguish the fugue from other Baroque forms such as the chorale, which is a hymn tune with homophonic texture; the oratorio, a large-scale religious work; and the toccata, a virtuosic keyboard piece. The mandatory counterpoint and structured development within a fugue set it apart and explains its enduring appeal in the music of the Baroque period.