Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 2004/04

From: Mark Gresham <mgresham@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] PULITZER
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 04:56:19 -0400


Jay niep wrote:
> I find it interesting looking through the list of winners how many
> composer's pieces that won the award never became popular... However, other
> works by those composers have become standards of the repertoire.
>
> --Ben
[...]
> it is interesting how many of the composers and their compositions have
> fallen into obscurity.
>
> jay

A clue to that might be how the Pulitzer nominations are made.
You can check out the published criteria at http://www.pulitzer.org/
and click on "guidelines and forms." I found out some years back, when
I wanted to nominate a piece by Stephen Paulus that was premiered late
in the submission timeframe, that (according to a staff member)
nominations are made often before a work has even premiered, in spite of
the fact that a recording of the work is required in submission. You'll
see that a work getting its premiere on January 14, 2004 would have had
considerable difficulty in meeting the deadline, for example, but would
not be eligible for the following year's prize either, though this info
in the music category document differs from what is stated in the
complete "plan of award" information (says Jan. 15 instead of March 1 as
in the latter).
However, what I'd gotten in the phone conversation when I wanted to
nominate the Paulus piece really sank my opinion of the Pulitzer, except
for the amount of money involved. It is very much an opinion of a very
closed group and its perspective. It does, however, still have a good
PR value for the winner, but it certainly doesn't guarantee the music
will stand the test of time beyond a guaranteed footnote in almanacs and
encyclopedias as part of a list of Pulitzer winners. With the right
piece, except for the $50 entry fee, I would still make a nomination on
behalf of a composer if I felt it was truly, truly warranted.

--
--
Mark Gresham, composer
mgresham@-----.com/
Lux Nova Press http://www.luxnova.com/
LNP Retail Webstore http://www.luxnova.com/lnpwebstore/

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