Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) contributed to the development of violin performance through his innovative virtuosic techniques and popular Spanish characteristics, and his influence on violin performing style remains even in the present day. He composed virtuosic compositions to showcase his excellent technique, and well-known composers of the time such as Camille Saint-Saëns and Edouardo Lalo composed for him as well. These compositions include not only virtuosity but also Spanish characteristics that were suitable to Sarasate's nationalistic heritage. The combination of Spanish and virtuosic characteristics made these pieces as standard violin repertoire for modern violinists. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was his distinct performance style that broke the boundary of technical virtuosity in violin performing. The following generations - Kreisler, Heihetz, and in the present day, Isaac Permann - developed their performance techniques based on Sarasate's performance style. To examine Saraste's influences and contributions to the development of violin performing style, this dissertation focuses on Sarasate's performance practices, his technical developments, his unique style of playing, and his music to discuss his influences on composers and violinists alike. This study places Sarasate's performance style in the context of nineteenth- and twentieth-century violin performance practices through a discussion of major violin schools such as Franco-Belgian and German schools. The study is of Sarasate's repertoire such as his Zigeunerweizen and Saint-Saëns's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, which offers an interpretation of Sarasate's contributions to the development of violin literature and performance practice. Since his performance style can be observed not only in the scores and commentary of his contemporaries but also in recordings, this study also includes a comparison of recordings by various violinists such as Sarasate, Kreisler, and Heifetz to reinforce the discussion of individual performing styles and Sarasate's influences. Through his contributions to the development of violin performance, Sarasate made himself one of the most renowned figures in the history of the violin.

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