In People v. Montanez, 41 N.Y.2d 53 [1976] the defendant was accused of shooting a friend following a lengthy discussion in the victim's home. The Court of Appeals ruled that it was permissible for the trial court to allow two witnesses to testify that they heard the defendant and the victim arguing about the sale of drugs, rather than give only generalized accounts of the argument without any particulars, since this testimony provided necessary background material.