Which feature demonstrates Handel's use of German-style counterpoint in Giulio Cesare?

• A. High male voices instead of castrati
• B. Ornamented recitatives
• C. Virtuosic keyboard toccatas
• D. Virtuosity in violin concertos

Answer: (A)

German-style counterpoint emphasizes weaving independent melodic lines together and balancing voices across the texture. In Giulio Cesare, Handel achieves that polyphonic feel not by relying on a single high singer, but by using high male voices instead of castrati for the top lines. This casting choice preserves multiple voiced lines that interact closely, allowing imitative and interwoven textures to emerge, a hallmark of German contrapuntal practice. The other options point to features more typical of Italian opera seria or instrumental writing—ornamented recitatives, keyboard toccatas, and virtuosic violin writing—rather than the vocal polyphony that demonstrates the German influence in Handel's approach.