The
Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of the seven American
Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first awarded in 1943.
Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year. This was eventually converted into a full-fledged prize: "For a distinguished
musical composition of significant dimension by an American that has had its first performance in the United States during the year." Because of the requirement that the composition had its world premiere during the year of its award, the winning work had rarely been
recorded and sometimes had received only one performance. In 2004 the terms were modified to read: "For a distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year."