However, unlike instruments such as the violin, the cello had to face harsh competition from the older, well-established viola da gamba.
As a result, few important cello concertos were written before the 19th century – with the notable exceptions of those by Vivaldi, C.P.E.
Its full recognition as a solo instrument came during the Romantic era with the concertos of Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Lalo and Dvořák.
Many post-World War II composers (Shostakovich, Walton, Ligeti, Britten, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski and Penderecki among others) have written at least one.
One special consideration composers must take with the cello (as well as all instruments with a low range) is with the issue of projection.