David Popper

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

[edit] Life

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 (who was also a son-in-law of Franz Liszt), who recommended him to a position as Chamber Virtuoso in the court of Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern. He lost this job a couple of years later due to the prince's death. He then made his debut in Vienna in 1867, and was made principal cellist at the Hofoper. In 1872, he married Sophie Menter, a pupil of Franz Liszt who later joined the staff at the St. Petersburg conservatory. After a few years, Popper resigned from his post at the Hofoper so as to continue his tours with his wife on a larger scale, giving concerts throughout Europe. From 1896 he taught at the Conservatory at Budapest. He died in Baden.

[edit] Works

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. His shorter showpieces were written to highlight the unique sound and style native to the cello extending the instrument's range to heights with pieces such as Spinnlied (Spinning Song) or the Ungarische Rhapsodie (Hungarian Rhapsody). He also wrote instructional pieces. 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."

Popper is also famous for his High School of Cello Playing, a book of cello etudes that are used almost universally by advanced cello students.

An example of his cello writing can be seen in this performance of Gavotte No. 2 performed by cellist Julian Lloyd Webber

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