Sarasate, Pablo de, 1844-1908, Spanish violin virtuoso. He made difficult arrangements that displayed his brilliant technique and wrote violin pieces that effectively popularized what came to be known as the Spanish idiom. His most popular composition was Zigeunerweisen. Lalo, Bruch, and Saint-Saëns wrote concertos for him.

(born March 10, 1844, Pamplona, Spain—died Sept. 20, 1908, Biarritz, France) Spanish violinist. After his debut at age eight, he was sent to study in Madrid, where the queen gave him the Stradivarius that he would play his whole life. After finishing his studies in Paris, he toured the world. He had many pieces written for him (by Max Bruch, Camille Saint-Saëns, etc.) and wrote scores of brilliant virtuoso works himself, including Zigeunerweisen (1878) and the Carmen Fantasy (1883).

Learn more about Sarasate (y Navascuéz), Pablo (Martín Melitón) de with a free trial on Britannica.com.

See Pablo de Sarasate