Montalbano, Bartolomeo (EN)

Montalbano, Mont’Albano, Bartolomeo, *ca. 1600 Bologna, †1651 Venice, Italian composer, OFM. He came from a family of Bolognese merchants, founders of the chapel in the church of San Francesco, where he received his musical education (he was probably a pupil of C. Cortellini), and in 1619 he took his religious vows. He spent some time in Rome, then left for Palermo, where he was maestro di cappella at the church of San Francesco from 1627. In 1633, he returned to Bologna and from 1642 was maestro di cappella at the church of San Francesco. In 1647, he conducted a concert for the superior of the chapter of the congregation in SS. Apostoli in Rome. In 1650, he was sent to Venice, where he died a year later.

Montalbano is (alongside C. Cortellini, A. Pagani and O.M. Grandi) a representative of the early Bolognese violin school. His collection of instrumental music demonstrates his excellent knowledge of violin technique and solid contrapuntal skills. The sinfonie for solo violin are multi-part, showy improvisational fantasies. Drawing on the Venetian stile moderno of the solo sonatas by D. Castello and B. Marini, Montalbano introduces playing within the first three positions, rapid arpeggios, figurations rich in leaps employing all the strings, frequent metrical contrasts, and tardo-presto and forte-piano juxtapositions. These sinfonie may have been performed in one of the Sicilian academies, from which the sonnet praising the composer’s artistry, attached to the collection, originates. The 2-4-voice sinfonias are 3-part canzonas with an ABA1 structure, with outer movements in even metre and the middle movement in triple metre; imitative technique predominates in them. The note included in the mass by Montalbano – that he shortened the Sanctus and Agnus Dei to make room for a motet or a sinfonia –probably refers to these compositions. The thematic similarities between some sinfonias and motets from Op. 2 may indicate that sinfonias were used as instrumental introductions or ritornellos to motets. In Sinfonia No. 10, Montalbano used quotations from C. de Rore’s madrigal Ancor che col partire, which was popular at the time. Most of the motets from Op. 2 represent an early Baroque church concerto for two voices and basso continuo; there are no distinct textural, metrical or agogic contrasts characteristic of the Venetian concerto. In the two-choir Obstupescite coeli, the composer does not resort to polychoral technique, but merely contrasts solo sections with chordal tutti. A similar moderation of means is evident in the mass. The Op. 2 collection also includes the monody for soprano and basso continuo Pater peccavi and the 4-voice a cappella motet Ecce nunc tempus.

Literature: D. Ficola, G. Collisani Bartolomeo Montalbano da Bologna, musicista francescano, “Studi Musicali” XVIII, 1987; G. Collisani Le “sinfonie”, i „motetti”, e la “messa” di Bartolomeo Montalbano, in: Musica sacra in Sicilia tra rinascimento e barocco, congress proceedings, ed. D. Ficola, Palermo 1988; W. Apel Italian Violin Music in the 17th Century, Indiana 1990.