Karl Davydov was a Russian composer and cellist. He was born into a musical family in Latvia in 1838. Davydov was a child prodigy, but his parents demanded that he must finish his education before starting his life as a cellist. He graduated from St. Petersburg University with a degree in Mathematics and then studied composition with Moritz Hauptmann at Leipzig Conservatory. Davydov was one of the first cellists to integrate the cello technique with anatomical and physiological elements of performance under Hauptmann's guidance. His most famous cello composition is "At the Fountain," and it is still being performed today.