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- Classicist John Cheke, 1514
- Composer David Popper, 1843
- 9th Prime Minister of Canada Arthur Meighen, 1874
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David Popper (June 16, 1843 – August 7, 1913) was a Bohemian cellist and composer.
He was born in Prague, and studied music at the Prague Conservatory. He studied the cello under Julius Goltermann (1825 – 1876), 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 Prince von Hochenzollern - Hechingen in Löwenberg. In 1864, he premiered Robert Volkmann's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 33, with Hans von Bülow conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. 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. From 1868 to 1870 he was also a member of the Hellmesberger Quartet. In 1872, he married pianist Sophie Menter, a pupil of Liszt. She later joined the staff at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1873, 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. Popper's and Menter's marriage was dissolved in 1886.
That year, Liszt recommended Popper for a teaching position at the newly opened string department at the Conservatory at Budapest. In Budapest, he participated in the Budapest Quartet with Jenő Hubay. He and Hubay performed chamber music on more than one occasion with Johannes Brahms, including the premiere of Brahms's Piano Trio No. 3 in Budapest, on December 20, 1886.
Popper died in Baden, near Vienna.
Among his notable students were Arnold Földesy, Jenő Kerpely, Mici Lukács, Ludwig Lebell and Adolf Schiffer (teacher of János Starker). It has been said by János Starker that Popper would run up a substantial bill at a local restaurant. To make up for this, Starker says that he would run home, compose a piece, take it to his publisher and use that money for the bill.
David Popper was one of the last great cellists who did not use an endpin. Popper 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), Elfentanz (Dance of the Elves), or the Ungarische Rhapsodie (Hungarian
Rhapsody). He also wrote instructional pieces. Popper is also famous
for his High School of Cello Playing (Op. 73), a book of cello études that is used almost universally by advanced cello students. 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."