The Pulitzer Prize recipients were announced on April 16, and there were few surprises. The awards for journalism were unobjectionable (although we wonder how many more Pulitzers the New York Times and Washington Post really need). It was the Pulitzer for music that grabbed the most attention: It went to rapper Kendrick Lamar for an album charmingly called DAMN.
The Pulitzer for music has not always gone to the recipients we would have chosen, but over time it’s been a serious award. Past recipients: Samuel Barber for his Piano Concerto in 1963; Ned Rorem for his orchestral work Air Music in 1976; Morton Gould’s work for strings, Stringmusic, in 1995; and posthumous awards for Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk in 1999 and 2006 respectively.
