The award will be officially acknowledged at the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in February. It is not known whether Boulez will attend.

Boulez is one of a raft of musicians to be recognised for their contribution to music over their lives. The other honourees include the Bee Gees, George Harrison (posthumously) and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter.

“This year we pay tribute to exceptional creators who have made prolific contributions to our culture and history,” said Neil Portnow, CEO of the Recording Academy. “It is an honour and a privilege to recognise such a diverse group of talented trailblazers, whose incomparable bodies of work and timeless legacies will continue to be celebrated for generations to come.”

Boulez, who is one of the most influential names in contemporaryclassical music, has previously won 26 Grammys, most recently in 2005 for his recording of his own work Le Marteau sans maître.