Pablo de Sarasate

Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908) was a Spanish virtuoso violinist and composer. Born in Pamplona, he began the violin at five and gave his first public concert at eight. At twelve he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he won its first prize, and while still young he began the career of a touring soloist that took him across Europe and to North and South America. The leading composers of his time wrote for him: Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and Saint-Saëns’s Third Violin Concerto were all written for or dedicated to him. His own works are showpieces designed around his technique, among them Zigeunerweisen, the Carmen Fantasy and several books of Spanish Dances. He was one of the few great players of his era to live into the age of the gramophone, and made a small number of recordings in 1904. He died in Biarritz.