 The earliest surviving solo composition written specifically for euphonium or one of its saxhorn cousins is the "Concerto per Flicorno Basso" (1872) by Amilcare Ponchielli.For almost a century after this, the euphonium solo repertoire consisted of only a dozen or so virtuosic pieces, mostly light in character.However, in the 1960s and 1970s, American composers began to write the first of the "new school" of serious, artistic solo works specifically for euphonium.