ModernismLili Boulanger
Lili Boulanger was born in Paris.
Lili Boulanger’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1893👶 Birth
Born in Paris on 21 August
- 1895❤️ Private lifeage 2
A serious illness leaves her frail for life; Fauré discovers her perfect pitch
- 1895🌍 Meanwhile
The Lumière brothers’ first cinema show
- 1898📚 Trainingage 5
Accompanies her sister Nadia to Conservatoire classes
- 1903🌍 Meanwhile
First powered aeroplane flight (Wright brothers)
- 1913🎩 Careerage 20
First woman to win the Premier Grand Prix de Rome, aged 19
- 1914🧳 Journeyage 21
Stay at the Villa Medici, cut short by the war
- 1914🎼 Workage 21
Clairières dans le ciel, song cycle
- 1914🌍 Meanwhile
The First World War begins
- 1915🎩 Careerage 22
Helps musicians at the front with her sister Nadia
- 1917🎼 Workage 24
Psalms; Vieille prière bouddhique
- 1918🕯️ Deathage 25
Dies in Mézy-sur-Seine on 15 March, aged 24
- 1918🎼 Workage 25
D’un soir triste and D’un matin de printemps; dictates her Pie Jesu
- 1918🌍 Meanwhile
End of the First World War
Listen to the music
Press the big button to listen. Close your eyes: how does it make you feel?
Lili Boulanger’s music is in the public domain, but Wikimedia Commons does not yet offer a freely licensed recording of these works. The links below lead to scores and searches on Commons; as soon as a free recording is published, it can be added here.
Once upon a time…
Lili Boulanger was born in Paris. As a tiny child she fell seriously ill and stayed fragile all her life. But she had an extraordinary gift: at two, the composer Fauré discovered that she could recognise every note by ear!
She followed her big sister Nadia to the Conservatoire and learned piano, violin, cello and harp.
At nineteen she won the Prix de Rome, the greatest composition competition in France. She was the very first woman to win it! During the war she and her sister sent letters and parcels to musicians at the front.
She died very young, at twenty-four, but her music, both bright and sad, is now played all over the world.
Lili Boulanger’s instruments
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