Robert Moog - synthesizer pioneer

Bacharach, whose songs include Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, I Say A Little Prayer and I'll Never Fall in Love Again was praised by the prize committee as "one of the primary architects of contemporary music".

The singer-songwriter made his debut in the 1950s and has recently enjoyed a surge in popularity thanks to an easy-listening revival - Bacharach's smooth vocals typify "lounge" music.

His productions borrowed from jazz, soul, Brazilian bossa-nova and traditional pop to redefine pop during the 1960s.

Moog was awarded the prize for designing the MiniMoog, "the first compact, easy-to-use synthesizer".

The MiniMoog's biggest break was in 1969, when Walter Carlos had a Grammy-winning hit with Switched-on Bach, popularising electronic music with Moog-made renditions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Stockhausen receives his award from King Carl Gustaf

Pioneering German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen was recognized for a career that, "has been characterized by impeccable integrity and never ceasing creativity," according to the prize committee.

Stockhausen is a modern classical composer who also uses electronic music, his work has been influential in pop and other forms of modern music.

The Polar Prize - which was founded in 1989 to honour exceptional achievements that transcend music genres and break down musical boundaries - is awarded annually.

It is described in Sweden as the "Nobel prize of music" and was established by the late Stikkan Anderson, whose record company released the songs of Swedish supergroup Abba.

Last year's winners were rock music legend Bob Dylan and classical violinist Isaac Stern.

Previous winners include Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Ravi Shankar.