Lili Boulanger was an extraordinary French composer, born Marie-Juliette Olga "Lili" Boulanger on August 21, 1893, in Paris, into a musical family. Her father, Ernest Boulanger, was a composer and a winner of the Prix de Rome, while her older sister, Nadia Boulanger, was a well-known composer and teacher who would become one of the most influential music pedagogues of the 20th century. Lili's health was precarious from an early age, but her prodigious talent for music emerged despite these challenges.

A pianist, organist, and composer, Lili Boulanger's career was tragically brief but shone with a remarkable intensity and innovation that belied her short life—she passed away at 24 due to Crohn's disease. In 1913, Lili became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome composition prize, for her cantata “Faust et Hélène.” Her music, characterized by its emotional depth and rich harmonic language, has continued to captivate audiences and musicians long after her untimely death on March 15, 1918.

Boulanger's style integrated the influences of Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré but was very much her own, punctuated with lush textures and an evocative sense of melody. Notable works include "D'un matin de printemps," "D'un soir triste," and "Pie Jesu," which was completed on her deathbed. Although her output was relatively small due to her brief life, her innovative contributions to chamber music, choral works, and orchestral compositions have secured her a lasting place in classical music history. Her pieces such as "Nocturne” reveal a subtle melding of Impressionistic tones with a unique and introspective lyrical quality, ensuring her legacy continues to be celebrated and explored by new generations of musicians and audiences alike.

Genres

Early Modern Classical

Impressionism

Related Artists

Claude Debussy

Gabriel Fauré

Maurice Ravel

Erik Satie

Nadia Boulanger

Darius Milhaud

Olivier Messiaen

Igor Stravinsky

Francis Poulenc

Fanny Mendelssohn

Germaine Tailleferre

Florent Schmitt

Latest Release

Lili Boulanger: Dans l'immense tristesse

Lili Boulanger•

Marie-Laure Garnier•

Alexandre Pascal

Single - Released July 19, 2024