Classical music in Spain underwent a resurgence in the mid-nineteeth century, and the nationalistic emphasis of the Romantic era certainly provided fertile ground for the use of the unique sounds of the Iberian Peninsula. In the realm of violin music, Pablo de Sarasate's compositions revealed Romantic Spain to much of the world and were inspirations for many other composers' violin works in the same vein. Eric Wen's compilation "The Spanish Album" is a great representative survey of this trend. His foreword provides a lively and informative background for the pieces and composers in the book.
Dominant series cello strings are one of the most widely-used synthetic strings. A highly flexible, multi-strand nylon core makes these comparable in sound and feel to natural gut.