"It is my aim. my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano," Rostropovich has said. "But this cannot be until there are more and great new works for the cello." Thus he has inspired composers such as Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Miaskovsky, Kabalevsky, Piston and Britten to write repeatedly for him.

The citation on his award reads: "Touched with the warmth and enthusiasm of his person, his musical genius transcends national boundaries and has come to belong to all of us."

Another Doctor of Music was awarded to Beverly Sills, the renowned lyric coloratura soprano and leading singer of the New York City Opera Company.

Sills has risen to fame since 1966, when she sang Cleopatra in the New York City Opera's production of Handel's "Julius Caesar."

"Audiences and critics realized for the first time that they were in the presence of a diva of historical importance," wrote a New Yorker reviewer. "She tossed off all of Handel's difficult fioriture with exemplary intonation, faultless agility, and a warmth of tone that is seldom encountered in singers of her type...The production was a stunning one."

Her musical career began much earlier, however: At the age of two she was already appearing on WOR radio's show "Uncle Bob's Rainbow Room" as Bubbles Silverman--and the nickname of Bubbles has lasted through the years among members of her family.

As a child, she sang in several radio programs as well as in commercials (Sills brought the product Rinso White fame). Her operatic debut came in the 1950s with the San Francisco Opera.

Since then, she has sung most of the roles written for lighter soprano, both lyric. and coloratura. In the process, she has come to be regarded by critics as one of the world's three or four operatic "superstars." She will soon make her debut with the Metropolitan Opera.

Her citation: "Her joyous personality, glorious voice, and deep knowledge of music and drama bring delight to her audiences and distinction to her art."

An Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Camara has gained notariety for championing the cause of the poor and oppressed, particularly in the Northeastern part of Brazil, one of the poorest sections of the world.

"Without agrarian reform, the almost inhuman misery of the rural workers will persist," he has said. "Without banking reform, little will be done for the development of the country, and without fiscal reform, the rich will continue to grow richer while the poor will continue to suffer."

"Without electoral reform, the elections will appear to be free but in fact will be subjected to the power of money. Without administrative reform, bureaucracy will continue to sap the strength of public life."

Camara's efforts at social reform have brought strong negative response from right-wing businessmen and landowners in Brazil, as well as criticism from conservative factions of his own church.

They have, in addition, provoked atrocities from a Brazilian government primarily concerned with growth, law and order. Some priests, including Camara's personal assistants, have been imprisoned, tortured and slain.

Camara has become a symbol of Catholic opposition to military dictatorship in Brazil and throughout Latin America.