Pamplona, 12. December (EFE). – Pamplona will complete the legacy donated to the city by his favorite son and renowned musician Pablo Sarasate by finding four chests with 55 valuable pieces inside that were lost during one of the transfers in 1985, although the loss was only discovered in 1991.
That day, the project to establish the Sarasate Museum in one of its many locations was approved, but four of the eleven drawers in which the personal belongings that Sarasate had donated to the city after his death in 1908 were packed were missing.
These are the four chests that have now been found, which contain, among other things, paintings, engravings and sculptures collected by the musician, dedicatory photographs, items of clothing and a handwritten letter from the German composer Félix Mendelssohn.
For this reason, several weeks after the discovery of the four chests hidden behind some cabinets on the fourth floor of the municipal archives itself, the mayor of Pamplona, Joseba Asiron, considered the news “extraordinary and of enormous importance for the cultural heritage of the city”.
Locked with a padlock, sealed with red wax and seal of the Pamplona City Council, inside were up to 55 pieces belonging to the violinist and musician, including a bust of the Roncal tenor Julián Gayarre, made in 1890 by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure.
The municipal archivist Beatriz Marcotegui has explained that, strictly speaking, this piece does not belong to the heritage as such, although it has been associated with it since 1951, on the occasion of the demolition of the old town hall and the transfer of municipal offices to the School of Arts and Crafts.
Signed by Benlliure himself and given to the Gayarre family, who in turn gave it to the Pamplona City Council, who incorporated it into the Sarasate heritage. The peculiarity is that it is the original work and reveals a misunderstanding that led to the assumption that an identical bust – but signed by the founder – that was in the Palace of Navarre was the one now found.
The provincial government handed it over to the council when it was claimed, but the mayor himself apologized after clarifying the discovery of the original.
With all this, “we can now confirm that Sarasate’s legacy is complete with the eleven tribes properly located,” said Asiron, aware of the “dangerous life” of the musician’s legacy since its donation in 1908 to the city, which will soon bring it together in its entirety in a room bearing the composer’s name, as stated in his will. EFE
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