David Popper

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David Popper (December 9, 1843 - August 7, 1913) was a Bohemian cellist.

He was born in Prague, and studied music at the conservatory there. He studied the cello under Julius Goltermann, and soon attracted attention. He made his first tour in 1863; in Germany he was praised by Hans von Bülow among others, and he was also successful in Switzerland, Holland and England. He made his debut in Vienna in 1867, and was made principal cellist at the Hofoper. After a few years, however, Popper resigned so as to continue his tours on a larger scale, giving concerts throughout Europe. From 1896 he taught at the Conservatory at Budapest. He died in Baden.

He was a prolific composer of music for his instrument, writing four concertos, a Requiem for three cellos and orchestra (1891) and a number of smaller pieces which are still played today, including the ever-popular cello solo piece Tarantella. He also wrote instructional pieces. Popper's etudes are notorious among cellists worldwide. His High School of Cello Playing etudes are incredibly difficult, but are used almost universally by advanced cellists to improve their technique. An old edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians described him thus: "His tone is large and full of sentiment; his execution highly finished, and his style classical."

This article is based on a text from the Etude magazine, prior to 1923, that is in the public domain.