The coiffure of a true Romantic

Influenced by the customs of French society, Pablo Sarasate paid particular attention to his personal hygiene and appearance. His toilette, which he never skipped, began with a series of exercises.

He was said to be a very vain man. He was fairly short and to make himself look taller he always wore shoes with a high heel. When on stage, his appearance was impeccable, and even though he was short sighted, he never appeared in public with his glasses, which meant that he always played from memory. His most characteristic feature was his wavy hair, which he combed into a Romantic style coiffeur, and which he took great care of. According to an anecdote published in an English newspaper at the time, on one occasion, Sarasate, who had put pomade on his hair, was playing a piece for his maestro. As it was a very hot day, the pomade began to melt, and when Delphin Alard embraced him to congratulate him for his performance, he was forced to sample the unpleasant taste of the pomade.

His love for France was so great that he distained anything that was not French. Once, when he was in Madrid, he realised that his hair had become quite long. He was convinced that they only knew how to cut hair in Paris, so he was pleasantly surprised when he looked in the mirror and saw that they had not made a bad job of it.

His carefully crafted appearance did not please everyone, however. The writer Pío Baroja showed his contempt for the musician with this description: “…The coarse and fanatical people forgot about the bloodthirsty festival to acclaim a violinist. And what a violinist! One of the most effeminate and grotesque men in the world. I see him pass by, with his long hair, his round behind and high-heeled shoes, which gave him the air of a fat cook, like the pantomime dame of a carnival…”

Complete biography of Pablo Sarasate