David Popper (1843–1913) was a Bohemian cellist and composer who became principal cellist of the Vienna Imperial Opera and Philharmonic at 25. In 1886, Franz Liszt appointed him professor of cello at what is now the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where he taught until his death. His Op. 73 etudes, the High School of Cello Playing, grew directly out of that teaching.

Op. 73, "High School of Cello Playing," contains 40 advanced etudes that are standard repertoire for conservatory auditions and professional development. Popper originally published the 40 Etudes 10 at a time, and they were bundled together without rhyme or reason and in no particular order. Op. 76 contains 10 Preparatory Etudes, an additional bundle which help prepare students for the Op. 73.

It depends on your level. Most teachers start with Etude No. 6 or No. 1, which are among the most accessible. The Proper Popper Practice Project reorders all 40 by technique and theme rather than going in numerical order. Hint: Number 11 is the easiest.

Etude No. 11, which is easier than many of the Op. 76 Preparatory Etudes.

Personally, Eric finds No. 33, No. 39, and No. 29 most difficult. No. 4 used to be up there too, but with the Aaron-Moore edition he changed the key signatures and put repeats so the whole thing fits on one easy-to-read page now.

No. 22 has been required at Juilliard for decades.

The Aaron-Moore edition is the modern standard, required at Juilliard and the University of Michigan since 2012. It corrects key signatures, adds rehearsal marks, adds repeats, DCs and DSs, and even optimizes for page turns, all of which help students access the etudes much faster than any other edition. Co-edited by Richard Aaron and Eric Moore. If you want a structured, guided approach to mastering all 40, the Proper Popper Practice Project ($4,299) covers every etude in one year with weekly video lessons, guided practice tracks, and 10 masterclasses.

The majority of cellists will never finish the 40 Popper Etudes, but everyone in Richard Aaron's studio has completed them by their sophomore year for the last 25+ years. Eric and his colleagues played them, one per week, from memory for each other on Saturday mornings over two school years. The Proper Popper Practice Project is designed to cover all 40 in one year at 90 minutes per day.

We talk with a lot of cellists about the Popper Etudes and have yet to hear anyone say they mastered all 40 outside of school without a teacher. It's 78 pages of very difficult music and the aspiration to finish them seems to be bigger than the toolbox cellists have to tackle them. (Which is, of course, one of the points of the PPPP.) If you're at the level where the PPPP is appropriate for you, you can master them with the Course in just one year if you commit to 90 minutes per day. If you'd like to see if Eric can work with you 1:1 for more assistance, schedule a call.

Fluency in 4 octaves and mastery of at least 2 complete concertos.

It varies by private teacher, but students are certainly studying them at every major conservatory.

The 12 Piatti Caprices (Op. 25) are generally considered more virtuosic because caprices are meant to be showpieces. The 40 Popper Etudes are intended as pedagogical studies and cover a broader range of techniques in a more systematically progressive way. Most cellists study Popper first.

The complete set covers spiccato, sautille, legato, detache, martele, staccato, and complex string crossing patterns. Each etude emphasizes specific bowing challenges.

A year-long guided Course ($4,299) to master all 40 Popper Etudes. It includes weekly video lessons, guided practice tracks, 10 masterclasses, the Aaron-Moore edition, and a built-in performance anxiety course. Created by Eric Moore, co-editor of the major edition with Richard Aaron.