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Lili Boulanger
August 21, 1893 - March 15, 1918
born in Paris, France, composed during the Modern period
Biography
Marie-Juliette Olga Boulanger was born into a musical family. Her grandfather was a cellist, her grandmother a famous soprano (Marie-Julie Boulanger, née Hallinger), her father a composer who had won the Prix de Rome in 1835. Her mother, Countess Raissa Myshetskaya, was a professional singer, and her sister was Nadia Boulanger, who became famous as a teacher, particularly to a generation of American composers.

Lili, as she was called, suffered a nearly fatal case of pneumonia when she was two years old. Although she survived, it would appear that her immune system was compromised, for she was a frequent sufferer from various illnesses. She was deeply attached to her father, who had been 77 years old when she was born. Inevitably, he died when she was young, only six years old. The family was closely involved in Parisian musical life; Fauré was a frequent house guest.

Their mother gave both sisters beginning music lessons, but they went on to study with eminent musicians. Lili took lessons from the great harpists Marcel Tournier and Alphonse Hasselmans, and also studied violin, cello, and piano. At the age of 16 she began studying composition. Her primary teachers were Georges Caussade and Paul Vidal.