Editing Double bass (section)

====1900s–present====
The leading figure of the double bass in the early 20th century was [[Serge Koussevitzky]], best known as conductor of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], who popularized the double bass in modern times as a solo instrument. Because of improvements to the double bass with steel strings and better set-ups, the bass is now played at a more advanced level than ever before and more and more composers have written works for the double bass. In the mid-century and in the following decades, many new concerti were written for the double bass, including [[Nikos Skalkottas]]'s Concerto (1942), [[Eduard Tubin]]'s Concerto (1948), [[Lars-Erik Larsson]]'s Concertino (1957), [[Gunther Schuller]]'s Concerto (1962), [[Hans Werner Henze]]'s Concerto (1966) and [[Frank Proto]]'s Concerto No. 1 (1968).

The ''Solo For Contrabass'' is one of the parts of [[John Cage]]'s ''Concert For Piano And Orchestra'' and can be played as a solo, or with any of the other parts both orchestral and/or piano.  Similarly, his solo contrabass parts for the orchestral work ''Atlas Eclipticalis'' can also be performed as solos.  Cage's indeterminate works such as ''Variations I'', ''Variations II'', ''Fontana Mix'', ''Cartridge Music'' et al. can be arranged for a solo contrabassist.  His work ''26.1.1499 for a String Player'' is often realized by a solo contrabass player, although it can also be played by a violinist, violist, or cellist.

From the 1960s through the end of the century [[Gary Karr]] was the leading proponent of the double bass as a solo instrument and was active in commissioning or having hundreds of new works and concerti written especially for him. Karr was given Koussevitzky's famous solo double bass by Olga Koussevitsky and played it in concerts around the world for 40 years before, in turn, giving the instrument to the [[International Society of Bassists]] for talented soloists to use in concert. Another important performer in this period, [[Bertram Turetzky]], commissioned and premiered more than 300 double bass works.

[[File:Sergei Koussevitsky.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Serge Koussevitzky]] popularized the double bass in modern times as a solo instrument.]]

In the 1970s, 1980 and 1990s, new concerti included [[Nino Rota]]'s ''Divertimento for Double Bass and Orchestra'' (1973), [[Alan Ridout]]'s concerto for double bass and strings (1974), [[Jean Françaix]]'s Concerto (1975), [[Frank Proto]]'s Concerto No.&nbsp;2, [[Einojuhani Rautavaara]]'s ''Angel of Dusk'' (1980), [[Gian Carlo Menotti]]'s Concerto (1983), [[Christopher Rouse (composer)|Christopher Rouse]]'s Concerto (1985), [[Henry Brant]]'s Ghost Nets (1988) and Frank Proto's "Carmen Fantasy for Double Bass and Orchestra" (1991) and "Four Scenes after Picasso" Concerto No.&nbsp;3 (1997). [[Peter Maxwell Davies]]' lyrical [[Strathclyde Concerto]] No.&nbsp;7, for double bass and orchestra, dates from 1992.

In the first decade of the 21st century, new concerti include Frank Proto's "Nine Variants on Paganini" (2002), [[Kalevi Aho]]'s Concerto (2005), [[John Harbison]]'s ''Concerto for Bass Viol'' (2006), [[André Previn]]'s Double Concerto for violin, double bass, and orchestra (2007) and [[John Woolrich]]'s ''To the Silver Bow'', for double bass, viola and strings (2014).

[[Reinhold Glière]] wrote an Intermezzo and Tarantella for double bass and piano, Op.&nbsp;9, No.&nbsp;1 and No.&nbsp;2 and a Praeludium and Scherzo for double bass and piano, Op.&nbsp;32 No.&nbsp;1 and No.&nbsp;2. [[Paul Hindemith]] wrote a rhythmically challenging Double Bass Sonata in 1949. Frank Proto wrote his Sonata "1963" for Double Bass and Piano. In the Soviet Union, [[Mieczysław Weinberg]] wrote his Sonata No.&nbsp;1 for double bass solo in 1971. [[Giacinto Scelsi]] wrote two double bass pieces called ''Nuits'' in 1972, and then in 1976, he wrote ''Maknongan'', a piece for any low-voiced instrument, such as double bass, contrabassoon, or tuba. [[Vincent Persichetti]] wrote solo works—which he called "Parables"—for many instruments. He wrote Parable XVII for Double Bass, Op.&nbsp;131 in 1974. [[Sofia Gubaidulina]] penned a Sonata for double bass and piano in 1975.  In 1976 American minimalist composer [[Tom Johnson (composer)|Tom Johnson]] wrote "Failing – a very difficult piece for solo string bass" in which the player has to perform an extremely virtuosic solo on the bass whilst simultaneously reciting a text which says how very difficult the piece is and how unlikely he or she is to successfully complete the performance without making a mistake.

In 1977 Dutch-Hungarian composer [[Géza Frid]] wrote a set of variations on The Elephant from [[Saint-Saëns]]' ''[[Le Carnaval des Animaux]]'' for [[scordatura]] double bass and string orchestra. In 1987 [[Lowell Liebermann]] wrote his Sonata for Contrabass and Piano Op.&nbsp;24. Fernando Grillo wrote the "Suite No.&nbsp;1" for double bass (1983/2005). [[Jacob Druckman]] wrote a piece for solo double bass entitled ''Valentine''. US double bass soloist and composer [[Bertram Turetzky]] (born 1933) has performed and recorded more than 300 pieces written by and for him. He writes chamber music, baroque music, classical, jazz, renaissance music, improvisational music and world music

US minimalist composer [[Philip Glass]] wrote a prelude focused on the lower register that he scored for timpani and double bass. Italian composer [[Sylvano Bussotti]], whose composing career spans from the 1930s to the first decade of the 21st century, wrote a solo work for bass in 1983 entitled ''Naked Angel Face per contrabbasso''. Fellow Italian composer [[Franco Donatoni]] wrote a piece called ''Lem for contrabbasso'' in the same year. In 1989, French composer [[Pascal Dusapin]] (born 1955) wrote a solo piece called ''In et Out'' for double bass. In 1996, the Sorbonne-trained Lebanese composer [[Karim Haddad]] composed ''Ce qui dort dans l'ombre sacrée'' ("He who sleeps in the sacred shadows") for Radio France's Presence Festival. [[Renaud Garcia-Fons]] (born 1962) is a French double bass player and composer, notable for drawing on jazz, folk, and Asian music for recordings of his pieces like ''Oriental Bass'' (1997).

Two significant recent works written for solo bass include, [[Mario Davidovsky]]'s Synchronisms No.11 for double bass and electronic sounds and [[Elliott Carter]]'s Figment III, for solo double bass. The German composer [[Gerhard Stäbler]] wrote ''Co-wie Kobalt'' (1989–90), "...a music for double bass solo and grand orchestra". [[Charles Wuorinen]] added several important works to the repertoire, ''Spinoff'' trio for double bass, violin and conga drums, and ''Trio for Bass Instruments'' double bass, tuba and bass trombone, and in 2007 ''Synaxis'' for double bass, horn, oboe and clarinet with timpani and strings. The suite "Seven Screen Shots" for double bass and piano (2005) by Ukrainian composer [[Alexander Shchetynsky]] has a solo bass part that includes many unconventional methods of playing. The German composer [[Claus Kühnl]] wrote ''Offene Weite / Open Expanse'' (1998) and ''Nachtschwarzes Meer, ringsum…'' (2005) for double bass and piano.In 1997 [[Joel Quarrington]] commissioned the American / Canadian composer [[Raymond Luedeke]] to write his "Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra", a piece he performed with the [[Toronto Symphony Orchestra]], with the [[Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra]], and, in a version for small orchestra, with the [[Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>Hume, Christopher. "And this bass stands alone"
 [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/advancedsearch.html ''The Toronto Star''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407075855/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/advancedsearch.html |date=7 April 2018 }}. Toronto, 10 November 1997. Retrieved on 5 November 2018.</ref> Composer Raymond Luedeke also composed a work for double bass, flute, and viola with narration, "The Book of Questions", with text by [[Pablo Neruda]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7z-ThFhszs&list=PL8PlV2646b96TjWjf2d3QflonLzLpoq| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/N7z-ThFhszs| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=The Book of Questions| website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2004 Italian double bassist and composer [[Stefano Scodanibbio]] made a double bass arrangement of [[Luciano Berio]]'s 2002 solo cello work ''[[Sequenza XIV]]'' with the new title ''Sequenza XIVb''.