Lili Boulanger was one of the formidable Boulanger sisters, the other being Nadia who became leading composition tutor. They were the children of Raissa Myshetskaya (a Russian Princess) and the 77 year old Paris Conservatoire tutor (and Prix de Rom winner) Ernest Boulanger.
Lili joined her sister’s classes at the Paris Conservatoire before the age of 5. In 1913 she won the Prix de Rome for composition with her cantata Faust et Hélène, becoming the first woman to win the prize.
She studied with Louis Vierne, Paul Vidal, Georges Caussade, and Gabriel Fauré, and was influenced by Debussy. Sadly due to chronic illness she died aged 24 in March 1918. Alongside works including Les sirens (1911) and the extraordinary Vieille prière bouddhique (1917) is today’s choice – her Pie Jesu from the Requiem Mass.
It started life in sketches when aged 16, and may have formed part of an intended Requiem Mass setting. To finish the work she had to dictate the work to her sister Nadia – the work is scored for voice, string quartet, harp, and organ.
A fuller biography can be found at: https://oxfordsong.org/composer/lili-boulanger
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