For the elaboration of his eight Spanish Dances (HN 1370), Sarasate employed extant material – folk melodies or songs by well-known composers – which he then blended with his own delightful brand of tonal language. Playera and Zapateado op. 23, which make up nos. 5 and 6 of the third volume of Spanish Dances, were composed in the summer 1879.

Zapateado is a breath-taking, highly virtuosic dance in which the violin is able to show off all its technical possibilities. This is why the work also ...