Montalbano's primary contribuion to music were the two volumes of music he published while in Palermo. "Sinfonio ad uno, e doi violini, a doi, e trombone, con il partimento per l'organo, con alcune a quattro viole" and "Motetti ad 1, 2, 3, 4, et 8 voci, con il partimento per l'organo, et una messa a 4 voci" were respectively scored as four pieces for solo violin, two for two violins, two for two violins and a trombone, and four for four viols and a continuo, as well as a volume of motets and a mass. At the age of nineteen Montalbano had settled in a Franciscan monastery in Bologna. After a trip to Rome he was taken to Palermo as the master of the chapel of a Franciscan monastery. Montalbano maintained this position until his death though he did travel to Venice in 1650 just prior to his death. The motets numbered ten: two for solo voices, six for two voices, one for four vocies an one for eight voices. His vocal music was derrivative of his instrumental music. The instrumental volume was chracterized as being in the stylistic idiom of the canzona. The solo violin pieces were liberated from strict forms requiring improvisations by a virtuoso. Montalbano is considered on of the founders of modern violin technique for scoring the sinfonias for a violin tuned in fifths. ~ Keith Johnson