Musical compositions for Navarre

Pablo Sarasate composed certain works specifically for his home land. Some of the titles he gave these pieces included clear dedications and tributes to the land where he was born.

In 1892, he wrote “Navarra” (op. 33) for two violins and orchestra, which the violinist dedicated “to the Regional Government of Navarre”. This piece contains an adaptation of the traditional music performed at the San Fermín Festival.

In 1878, he composed “Jota Navarra” (op. 22), although the piece included a dedication to a foreign friend. However, the work was largely inspired by the popular jota “Viva Navarra”, by a fellow native of Navarre and Sarasate’s good friend Joaquín Larregla.

Sarasate also wrote a few pieces based around local folklore, which he dedicated to his sister Francisca, who lived in Pamplona, and in 1894 he composed the famous “Jota de San Fermín” (op. 36), for violin and piano, which he dedicated to Louis Diémer. A year later he wrote “Zortzico Adiós Montañas mías” (op. 37), based on another piece by Joaquín Larregla.

In 1903, Sarasate once again alluded to his roots with “Jota de Pamplona” (op. 50) for violin and orchestra.

All these pieces maintained the typical style of local folkloric music. “Jota de Pablo”, composed a year before his death, is a good example of this, written in the peculiar and unmistakeable style of the jota navarra.

In general, all these compositions reveal Sarasate’s preferences in terms of themes and variations, always written with a view to showing off the great violinist’s virtuoso skill. His harmonics also had a common denominator, based on the simple alternating pattern of tonic and dominant triads.

My dear fellow countrymen know that I’ll never change; I’ll always love my country and my people, the people from Navarra…

Complete biography of Pablo Sarasate