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Lili Boulanger (1893–1918)

Marie-Juliette Olga “Lili” Boulanger was born in Paris in 1893 and her musical talent became apparent at the age of two when Gabriel Fauré, a friend of the family, discovered she had perfect pitch. Her parents, both musicians, ensured that Lili and her older sister Nadia received a thorough musical education at the Paris Conservatoire. Lili began lessons in music theory at the age of 5 and studied the organ with Louis Vierne. She also sang, and played the violin, cello and harp. In 1913, Boulanger won the Prix de Rome composition prize for her cantata Faust et Hélène, following in the footsteps of her father Ernest Boulanger, who won the Prix de Rome in 1835. The cantata was frequently performed throughout her lifetime and its popularity led to a contract with the music publisher Ricordi. Boulanger’s short life was blighted by debilitating illness. A case of bronchial pneumonia permanently weakened her immune system and led to her contracting intestinal tuberculosis, which ended her life at the age of 24. Her death left her first opera La princesse Maleine unfinished. Her sister, Nadia, the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic, worked tirelessly throughout her life to promote Lili’s music and to preserve her legacy. (Eleanor Burke)