Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascuéz (March 10, 1844 - September 20, 1908) was a Spanish violinist and composer. He was one of the most famous violin virtuosi of his time.
Sarasate was born in Pamplona, the son of a military bandmaster. He gave his public debut at the age of eight, and studied first in Madrid and later at the Paris Conservatoire. He gave concert tours from 1859, playing throughout Europe and both North and South America. He died in Biarritz.
A number of pieces were written for Saraste, including Edouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, Camille Saint-Saens' Violin Concerto No. 3 and Introduction and rondo capriccioso and Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy.
Sarasate's own compositions are mainly flashy show-pieces designed to demonstrate his exemplary technique. Perhaps the best known of his works is Zigeunerweisen (1878), a work for violin and orchestra. He also made arrangements of a number of other composers' work for violin. In the early 20th century he made a small number of recordings.
James Whistler's Arrangement in Black: Pablo de Sarasate (1884) is a portrait of Sarasate.