Changes in the criteria for the Pulitzer Prize for music to broaden it are provoking controversy. Defenders say: “The board has been concerned for many years that the full range of exellence in American music was not somehow getting through the process in such a way that it could be properly and appropriately considered. The changes in the wording are intended to make sure that the full range of excellence can be considered. The prize should not be reserved essentially for music that comes out of the European classical tradition.”