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“Romanza andaluza” from Spanish Dances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
Pablo de Sarasate

- Born March 10, 1844, in Pamplona, Spain
- September 20, 1908, in Biarritz, France
- Composed in 1879
- Duration: 4 minutes

To understand the capacities of 18th- and early 19th-century violin virtuosos like Pietro Locatelli, Niccolò Paganini, Rodolphe Kreutzer, or George Bridgetower, we must try to imagine living, breathing, embodied sound by reading verbal descriptions, or by analyzing the technical implications contained in the musical scores they left behind. Not an impossible feat, but certainly a challenging one. Luckily, many later 19th-century virtuosos took the time to play for early recording devices, so we can get more of a first-hand sense of what they could really do on the instrument.

Such is the case with the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate, who in 1904 recorded some of his own music as well as the work of other composers. These recordings reveal not only his distinctive approach to vibrato and his characteristic lightness of touch and tone, but also the freedom of timing that is necessary to convincingly execute his virtuosic creations. His performances suggest that tempo flexibility is a defining element of the structure of such showpieces.

Sarasate’s four sets of Spanish Dances (Opp. 21, 22, 23, and 26), written between 1878 and 1882, contain a slew of carefully designed miniatures. The first number in the Op. 22 set, given the title “Romanza andaluza,” begins with characteristic sweetness. The technical demands in the first half of the piece are negligible; the player can devote energy to producing a silvery tone on the main melody and to the playful winks afforded by the many grace-note figures. Inevitably, halfway through, Sarasate’s trademark virtuosity appears, displayed in this instance with double-stops and trills against drones. Yet the demands he makes on technique don’t feel forced or gratuitous; rather, the composer invites the ear to follow the sincere push-and-pull that gives each technical challenge its rightful, poignant place in time.

“Romanza andaluza” from Spanish Dances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
Pablo de Sarasate

- Born March 10, 1844, in Pamplona, Spain
- September 20, 1908, in Biarritz, France
- Composed in 1879
- Duration: 4 minutes

To understand the capacities of 18th- and early 19th-century violin virtuosos like Pietro Locatelli, Niccolò Paganini, Rodolphe Kreutzer, or George Bridgetower, we must try to imagine living, breathing, embodied sound by reading verbal descriptions, or by analyzing the technical implications contained in the musical scores they left behind. Not an impossible feat, but certainly a challenging one. Luckily, many later 19th-century virtuosos took the time to play for early recording devices, so we can get more of a first-hand sense of what they could really do on the instrument.

Such is the case with the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate, who in 1904 recorded some of his own music as well as the work of other composers. These recordings reveal not only his distinctive approach to vibrato and his characteristic lightness of touch and tone, but also the freedom of timing that is necessary to convincingly execute his virtuosic creations. His performances suggest that tempo flexibility is a defining element of the structure of such showpieces.

Sarasate’s four sets of Spanish Dances (Opp. 21, 22, 23, and 26), written between 1878 and 1882, contain a slew of carefully designed miniatures. The first number in the Op. 22 set, given the title “Romanza andaluza,” begins with characteristic sweetness. The technical demands in the first half of the piece are negligible; the player can devote energy to producing a silvery tone on the main melody and to the playful winks afforded by the many grace-note figures. Inevitably, halfway through, Sarasate’s trademark virtuosity appears, displayed in this instance with double-stops and trills against drones. Yet the demands he makes on technique don’t feel forced or gratuitous; rather, the composer invites the ear to follow the sincere push-and-pull that gives each technical challenge its rightful, poignant place in time.