Among the leading cellists of his time, David Popper studied with Goltermann in his native Prague. After some time in Vienna he embarked on a career as a virtuoso, eventually settling in Budapest, where he performed with Brahms. His music for the cello is well enough known to cellists, of whom it often makes considerable demands. Among his most familiar compositions is the moving Requiem for three cellos, first heard in London in 1891.