David Popper

Czech Cellist and Composer

David Popper (1843–1913) was a Bohemian cellist and composer, renowned for his contributions to the cello repertoire. He was one of the most prominent cellists of the late 19th century, and his work as a performer, teacher, and composer significantly shaped the development of cello playing during that period. Popper served as the principal cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic and later taught at the Royal Hungarian Academy of Music in Budapest. His compositions include a wide range of pieces for cello, among them four concertos, a Requiem for three cellos and orchestra, and numerous smaller works that are still popular with cellists today. His "High School of Cello Playing," Op. 73, remains one of the cornerstones of cello pedagogy. While Popper did not produce albums in the modern sense, as he lived before the era of recorded music, his compositions have been widely recorded by subsequent generations of cellists and are featured on various albums alongside other composers' works.