One For The Weekend: Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) – Faust et Hélène
by unidentified photographer – http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~ken/lili.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4236201
Marie-Juliette Olga “Lili” Boulanger was a French composer and the first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger.
In 1912, Boulanger competed in the Prix de Rome but during her performance, she collapsed from illness. She returned in 1913 at the age of 19 to win the composition prize for her cantata Faust et Hélène. The cantata had many performances during her lifetime and because of the prize, she gained a contract with the publisher Ricordi.
She suffered from chronic illness, beginning with a case of bronchial pneumonia at age two that weakened her immune system, leading to a shortened life, dying at the age of 24.
Have a lovely, restful weekend – the Summer break for schools in the UK is almost upon us.
