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Lili Boulanger
Person · female · France · Paris · born 1893 · died 1918 · recording since 1960
French composer (1893–1918)
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Also known as Marie Juliette Boulanger · 莉莉·布朗热
Timeline
29 events▣ Album 26◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1890s
1910s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: Du fond de l’abîme / Psaume 24 / Psaume 129 / Vieille prière bouddhique / Pie Jesu
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Du fond de l’abîme / Psaume 24 / Psaume 129 / Vieille prière bouddhique / Pie Jesu
Album
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1980s
1990s
· Album
Album: Du fond de l'abîme / Psaumes 24 & 129 / Vieille prière bouddhique / Pie Jesu / 3 Pièces pour violon et piano
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Clairières dans le ciel / Les Sirènes / Renouveau / Hymne au soleil / Soir sur la plaine / Pour les funérailles d'un soldat
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: 3 Psaumes / Vieille prière bouddhique / Pour les funérailles d’un soldat / D’un soir triste / D’un matin de printemps
Album
source: musicbrainz
2000s
· Album
Album: Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms / Boulanger: Du fond de l'abîme, Psalms 24 & 129, Vieille prière bouddhique
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Debussy: Trio en sol majeur / La damoiselle élue / Boulanger: D'un soir triste / D'un matin de printemps
Album
source: musicbrainz
2010s
· Album
Album: BBC Music, Volume 27, Number 11: Ravel: Shéhérazade / Boulanger: Faust et Hélène / Debussy: Nocturnes
Album
source: musicbrainz
2020s
Biography
English biography2,120 words · 15 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1373245901
Biography
Marie-Juliette Olga Boulanger (French: [maʁi ʒyljɛt bulɑ̃ʒe] ; 21 August 1893 – 15 March 1918), professionally known as Lili Boulanger (French: [lili bulɑ̃ʒe]), was a French composer and musician, associated with the Symbolist and Impressionist movements. The first woman to win the Grand Prix de Rome composition competition, her older sister was the composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger; their father was the composer Ernest Boulanger.
Critics and scholars have praised her output for its harmonic language, formal control, and emotional depth, despite the brevity of her career. Her notable works include her three psalms for chorus and orchestra, the song-cycle Clairières dans le ciel (to poems by Francis Jammes), the D'un soir triste and D'un matin de printemps diptych, the Vieille prière bouddhique, Pie Jesu, her Prix de Rome cantata Faust et Hélène and various others.
Boulanger died in 1918 at the age of 24, after years of chronic illness.
Early life and education
Marie-Juliette Olga Boulanger was born on 21 August 1893 to a middle-class musical family in the ninth arrondissement of Paris.
Her mother was Raïssa Ivanovna Myshetskaya (Mischetzky; 1858–1935), a Russian princess from Saint Petersburg who descended from Michael of Chernigov. In 1877, Myshetskaya married her vocal teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris, Ernest Boulanger (they had first met in her hometown), who won the Prix de Rome in 1835. By the time of Lili’s birth, he was aged 77; she was very attached to her father. Her paternal grandfather Frédéric Boulanger was a noted cellist (although he deserted his family); her grandmother and eponym, Marie-Julie Halligner, was a famous mezzo-soprano, and all of the Boulanger children were christened in honour of her. Ernest and Raïssa Boulanger had four children: the eldest, Ernestine Mina-Juliette Boulanger, died in childhood; after her, in 1887, was born Juliette Nadia Boulanger, followed by Marie-Juliette in 1893, and Léa Marie Louise in 1898, who passed later that year. Marie-Juliette was named in honor of her paternal grandmother (as were all the Boulanger children), but she always went by Lili, a diminutive of Juliette.
According to biographer Léonie Rosenstiel, Ernest Boulanger asked the six-year-old Nadia to promise that she would look after her younger sister. Nadia and her parents enthusiastically encouraged Boulanger's musical education. Her musical aptitude was evident in early childhood: at age two, she could sing melodies by ear.
Boulanger was a sickly child. Aged two, she was affected with bronchial pneumonia which would last until the age of sixteen. This severely weakened her immune system and spurred her chronic illness.
In 1900, Ernest Boulanger died in Brussels. His family were profoundly affected by his death; this loss would later partially dictate the tone of much of his younger daughter's work.
She often accompanied her ten-year-old sister Nadia to classes at the Conservatoire, soon auditing courses on music theory and studying organ with Louis Vierne. She also sang and played piano, violin, cello, and harp. Her teachers included Marcel Tournier and Alphonse Hasselmans for harp, Hélène Chaumont (mother of Madeleine Chaumont) for piano, and Fernand Luquin for violin. Recurrent illness interrupted her formal studies between the ages of six and 16. After much waiting, Boulanger studied harmony with Georges Caussade and composition with Paul Vidal.
Prix de Rome and professional career
Inspired by Nadia's pursuit of the Prix de Rome and their father's 1835 victory, Boulanger entered the competition in 1912. However, during a performance of her cantata Maïa, she collapsed from illness. She would return the following year aged nineteen, composing the cantata Faust et Hélène to a libretto by Eugène Adenis, based on Goethe's Faust (though its text has been criticised). She became the first woman to win first prize. Faust et Hélène was performed various times during her lifetime. During her residency at the Villa Medici, she accepted a contract with the music publisher Ricordi, who published her prizewinning cantata.
Although proud of her sister, Nadia forsook her aspirations for the Prix de Rome following four unsuccessful attempts (although she had won second prize in 1908). The elder Boulanger instead focused on her role as assistant in Henri Dallier's organ class at the Conservatoire. Gabriel Fauré, the institution's director, was impressed by Lili's talent, frequently bringing her songs for her to read. Academics who revised her compositions noted their colourful harmony, instrumentation and skilful text-setting.
According to Caroline Potter, "The two sisters were both influenced by Debussy, and it appears they had similar literary tastes to the elder composer. Both sisters set poems by Maurice Maeterlinck, who was the author of the play Pelléas and Mélisande and also of Princesse Maleine; in February 1916, Maeterlinck authorised Lili to set the latter play as an opera. Allegedly, Lili had almost completed the opera before her death, though only the short score of act 1, scene 2, two versions of the libretto, and a sketchbook have survived."
The Gazette des classes de composition du Conservatoire
In 1915, Lili and Nadia Boulanger founded the Franco-American Committee of the Conservatoire to keep Paris Conservatoire students and alumni serving in World War I in contact through letters and care packages. It began as a small exchange of letters between Lili and her closest colleagues but quickly grew into a regular gazette. With Nadia, she founded and served as secretary of the Gazette des classes de composition du Conservatoire under the patronage of Whitney Warren. The gazette began as a 'circular letter', enquiring with certain conservatoire musicians to regularly write into the committee to be sent back out as a newsletter. The first received 51 responses in October 1915 and was published as its first issue the following month. They included all members (even those who failed to respond) in alphabetical order with their letters listed; it was illustrated by Jacques Debat-Ponsan. The gazette ended in 1918, shortly after Boulanger's death. During its lifetime, it received over 1,600 letters from 316 students and graduates, issuing twelve issues in total. These were only recently published by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the final never being made public.
Last days: illness and death
Despite her interest in travel, declining health required her to return to France. There, she and her sister organised efforts to support French soldiers during World War I. Her last years were musically productive as she laboured to complete as many pieces as she could. However, she failed to finish the opera La princesse Maleine, which she began developing in February 1916.
Her recurrent maladies, which began with her childhood pneumonia infection, culminated in intestinal tuberculosis. Some later writers have speculated that her symptoms are consistent with Crohn's disease, which was not described as a distinct condition during her lifetime. She died at the age of 24 in Mézy-sur-Seine on 15 March 1918.
Following her Requiem mass, Boulanger was buried at the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris. Nadia would live until 1979 and was later buried within the same grave; the sisters lie next to their parents.
Music
Raised in a time of musical transition, Boulanger's music fits into what would soon be defined as neo-Romanticism. Like Debussy, she more keenly associated herself with Symbolism over Impressionism, with her music featuring the former's sense of obscurity and indirection. However, she also 'explored the Impressionists' palette of nonfunctional seventh and ninth chords, parallel chords, and modal progressions'. While much of her music reflects the feelings of solitude and alienation that began to emerge during the twentieth century, they also reveal her struggles with depression and loneliness caused by her long-term illness.
Aspects of Fauré and Claude Debussy can be heard in her compositions; later composers, such Arthur Honegger, were influenced by her innovations.
Within her vocal work, Boulanger often set poetry conveying senses of despondence and melancholy. Notably, the finale (Demain fera un an) of her song cycle Clairières dans le ciel (whose texts were written by Francis Jammes), includes these lines: "Nothing more. I have nothing more, nothing to sustain me [...] I seem to feel a weeping within me, a heavy, silent sobbing, someone who is not there."
Inspired by her devout Catholicism, Boulanger composed three psalm settings: Psalms 24, 129 and 130, and often referenced religious themes within her work.
Les sirènes
Les Sirènes (Lili Boulanger), for solo soprano and three-part choir with piano or orchestral (unpublished) accompaniment, was written in 1911. It sets a poem by Charles Grandmougin and is dedicated to Jane Bathori.
It premièred at one of her mother's musical salons. Auguste Mangeot, a critic from the Paris music journal Le monde musical, reported that it was so well-received that it was encored. A practice piece for the Prix de Rome, it exhibits the firm grounding in academic technique taught at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Grandmougin's poem deals with sirens, mythological creatures that sing to seduce sailors to steer closer; when they do, the sirens devour them. From the introduction through twenty-eight measures, a pedal tone on F♯ combined with ascending C♯ octaves evoke their hypnosis.
Psalm 24
Psalm 24 is subtitled La terre appartient à l'Eternel ('The earth doth belong to the Eternal'); it was composed in 1916, while Boulanger was resident in Rome. Dedicated to Jules Griset, director of the Choral Guillot de Saint-Brice, The psalm is scored for four-part chorus accompanied by organ, four horns, three trumpets, four trombones, tuba, timpani and two harps.
It employs brass fanfares and homophonic choral passages; its variance of sections contrasts with the style of Faust et Hélène.
The psalm was published by Éditions Durand in 1924.
Psalm 129
Psalm 129 was also written in Rome in 1916. Of greater length than Psalm 24, it is scored for full orchestra and chorus.
It premièred at the Salle Pleyel in 1921, conducted by Henri Büsser.
Psalm 130
Du fond de l'abîme (Psalm 130: De Profundis / "Out of the depths"), composed for chorus and large orchestra (including a sarrusophone), is dedicated to the memory of her father Ernest. Although Boulanger wrote the piece at the age of twenty-two, critics revere it for its developed and well-formed style.
Scholars have suggested that the work was also composed in reaction to World War I.
Pie Jesu
Pie Jesu was scored for high voice, string quartet, harp and organ. It was written at the very end of her life, though "the first of Lili Boulanger's sketches for the Pie Jesu are to be found in a composition book she used between 1909 and 1913". Because of her failing health, Boulanger dictated the work to her sister Nadia. Biographers Léonie Rosenstiel and Olivia Mattis speculate that Boulanger intended to write a complete Requiem but did not live to complete it.
Vieille prière bouddhique
This work, 'Old Buddhist Prayer', is written for tenor and chorus (soprano, alto, tenor and bass). They are accompanied by a large orchestra of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, two clarinets in B♭, bass clarinet in B♭, two bassoons, sarrusophone and four horns in F, three trumpets, four trombones, tuba, tympani, cymbals, bass drum, celesta, two harps and strings. Composed from 1914 to 1917, it only premièred in 1921, following World War I (like many of her works).
Vieille prière bouddhique is not rooted within a Catholic framework; rather, it sets the text of a daily prayer from the Metta Sutta.
James Briscoe notes that this work shows similarities to Igor Stravinsky's music, while also anticipating the next generation of composers.
D'un soir triste
D'un soir triste (Of a sad evening) is a symphonic poem, the last work Boulanger wrote in her own hand without assistance. It is the first of a diptych, with D'un matin de printemps thenceforwards following.
D'un matin de printemps
Like its preceding piece, D'un matin de printemps (Of a spring morning) is one of her last completed compositions. Different arrangements were produced: for violin and piano; for flute and piano; for piano trio; and finally, an arrangement for orchestra. However, Nadia Boulanger edited these to add dynamics and performance directions.
Legacy
In March 1939, Nadia Boulanger created the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund, administered through the University of Massachusetts Boston. The fund has two stated objectives: to preserve Boulanger's music and memory, and to provide financial support to emerging composers. It does not accept applications for its annual competition, but a list of candidates is produced by a group of nominators selected each year by the Board of Trustees. Each nominator proposes a candidate for the prize. The fund then awards the Prix Lili Boulanger to one of these candidates. Previous winners have included Alexei Haieff (1942), Noël Lee (1953), Wojciech Kilar (1960), Robert D. Levin (1966, 1971) and Andy Akiho (2015).
In April 1965, the Friends of Lili Boulanger Association was created in Paris; this organisation became the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Centre (Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger, CNLB) in 2009.
Joy-Leilani Garbutt and Laura Colgate, two musicians from Washington, D.C. founded the Boulanger Initiative in 2018 to support music composed by women, in honour of the sisters.
The asteroid 1181 Lilith was named in honour of Boulanger.
Other languages
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 41 | 94.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 29 | 90.1th |
| Studio albums | 26 | 97.7th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 29 | 96.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -42 | 7th |
| Genres | 18 | 99.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (29 release groups · 26 studio albums)
Albums · 26
Du fond de l’abîme / Psaume 24 / Psaume 129 / Vieille prière bouddhique / Pie Jesu
1960 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 45:35
APsaume, “Du fond de l’abîme”23:40B1Psaume 244:10B2Psaume 1296:05B3Vieille prière bouddhique7:05B4Pie Jesu4:351977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks
A1Pour les funérailles d’un soldatA2Faust et Helene (beginning)B1Faust et Helene (conclusion)1983 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 56:51
1Extract From Eric Fenby’s Book “Delius As I Knew Him”6:012Cello Sonata15:103Three Piano Preludes: Prelude No. 12:004Three Piano Preludes: Prelude No. 21:065Three Piano Preludes: Prelude No. 31:266Polka - Zum Carnival2:197D’un matin de printemps4:588D’un soir triste11:189D’un vieux jardin2:3810D’un jardin clair2:0911Nocturne2:5012Cortège1:2913Harmonies du soir3:271992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 55:04
1Du fond de l'abîme (Psaume 130)23:552Psaume 243:303Psaume 1296:094Vieille Prière Bouddhique7:165Pie Jesu4:3663 Pièces pour violon et piano: 1. Nocturne3:3573 Pièces pour violon et piano: 2. Cortège1:3283 Pièces pour violon et piano: 3. D'un matin de printemps4:311994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 18 tracks · 1:07:10
1Clairières dans le ciel: I. Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie2:082Clairières dans le ciel: II. Elle est gravement gaie1:493Clairières dans le ciel: III. Parfois, je suis triste3:084Clairières dans le ciel: IV. Un poete disait1:495Clairières dans le ciel: V. Au pied de mon lit2:086Clairières dans le ciel: VI. Si tout ceci n'est qu'un pauvre rêve2:367Clairières dans le ciel: VII. Nous nous aimerons tant2:558Clairières dans le ciel: VIII. Vous m'avez regardé avec toute votre âme1:229Clairières dans le ciel: IX. Les lilas qui avaient fleuri2:3710Clairières dans le ciel: X. Deux ancolies1:3011Clairières dans le ciel: XI. Par ce qui j'ai souffert3:0612Clairières dans le ciel: XII. Je garde une médaille d'elle1:3513Clairières dans le ciel: XIII. Demain fera un an8:5914Les sirènes5:5515Renouveau4:5816Hymne au soleil3:5917Pour les funerailles d'un soldat7:5418Soir sur la plaine8:421998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 55:30
1Clairières dans le ciel: I. Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie1:482Clairières dans le ciel: II. Elle est gravement gaie1:503Clairières dans le ciel: III. Parfois je suis triste3:444Clairières dans le ciel: IV. Un Poète disait1:435Clairières dans le ciel: V. Au Pied de mon lit2:366Clairières dans le ciel: VI. Si tout ceci n'est qu'un pauvre rêve2:177Clairières dans le ciel: VII. Nous nous aimerons tant3:038Clairières dans le ciel: VIII. Vous m'avez regardé avec toute votre âme1:399Clairières dans le ciel: IX. Les Lilas qui avaient fleuri2:4410Clairières dans le ciel: X. Deux Ancolies1:2311Clairières dans le ciel: XI. Par ce que j'ai souffert2:5412Clairières dans le ciel: XII. Je garde une médaille d'elle1:5113Clairières dans le ciel: XIII. Demain fera un an8:2514Trois morceaux pour piano: I. D'un vieux jardin2:4615Trois morceaux pour piano: II. D'un jardin clair1:2816Trois morceaux pour piano: III. Cortège1:5217Quatre Mélodies: Attente2:0118Quatre Mélodies: Reflets2:4419Quatre Mélodies: Le Retour4:0020Quatre Mélodies: Dans l'immense tristesse4:421999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:06:41
1Psaume 243:022Pour les funérailles d’un soldat8:283Psaume 1296:474D’un soir triste10:325D’un matin de printemps5:026Psaume 13025:037Vieille prière bouddhique7:471999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:13:26
1Psaume 243:322Faust et Hélène30:143D’un soir triste10:424D’un matin de printemps4:495Psaume 130 “Du fond de l’abîme”24:092002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:07:50
1Psalm XXIV: La terre appartient à l'Éternel3:542Psalm CXXIX: Ils m'ont assez opprimé dès ma jeunesse7:353Vieille prière bouddhique: Prière quotidienne pour tout8:324Psalm CXXX: Du fond de l'abîme27:345Symphonie de Psaumes: Psalm XXXVIII: Exaudi orationem meam3:046Symphonie de Psaumes: Psalm XXXIX: Exspectans exspectavi Dominum5:507Symphonie de Psaumes: Psalm CL: Alleluia. Laudate Dominum in sanctis Ejus11:212007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:02:04
1Trio en sol majeur: Andantino con moto allegro8:372Trio en sol majeur: Scherzo - Intermezzo3:093Trio en sol majeur: Andante espressivo4:114Trio en sol majeur: Finale5:405La Demoiselle élue (prélude)4:046Il pleure dans mon coeur2:517D'un soir triste12:298D'un matin de printemps5:089Nocturne3:0010Cortège1:3311D'un vieux jardin2:3212D'un jardin clair2:3213Printemps6:182013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:17:13
1Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 7: I. Allegro moderato9:252Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 7: II. Scherzo2:483Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 7: III. Romanze. Andante grazioso9:204Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 7: IV. Finale. Allegro vivace5:525Deuxième sonate pour piano et violon, op. 39: I. Allegro grazioso9:536Deuxième sonate pour piano et violon, op. 39: II. Scherzo. Allegro4:577Deuxième sonate pour piano et violon, op. 39: III. Adagio6:278Deuxième sonate pour piano et violon, op. 39: IV. Finale. Allegro5:399Six Morceaux: I. Romance. Andante mosso3:1010Six Morceaux: II. Bohémienne. Allegro2:0211Six Morceaux: III. Berceuse. Andante3:3212Six Morceaux: IV. Mazourke. Tempo di Mazurka3:3713Six Morceaux: V. Vieille Chanson. Allegretto4:0014Six Morceaux: VI. Tarentelle. Allegro vivace3:2815Nocturne3:032015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:05:17
1Piano Trio no. 1 in C minor, op. 812:052Trio élégiaque no. 1 in G minor14:213Piano Quartet in A minor11:574D’un soir triste10:065D’un matin de printemps5:016Phantasie Trio in A minor11:472015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:09:16
1Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano: I. Moderato ma appassionato9:102Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano: II. Andante molto semplice6:243Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano: III. Allegro vigoroso7:444D’un soir triste, pièce en trio11:445D’un matin de printemps, pièce en trio4:466Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 150: I. Allegro4:367Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 150: II. Lento espressivo5:148Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 150: III. Allegro con brio4:309June, op. 51 no. 32:2010A Mirage, op. 100 no. 13:2211Stella viatoris, op. 100 no. 24:1712Chanson d’amour, op. 21 no. 15:092018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:19:19
1Prélude en Ré bémol2:502Soir sur la plaine9:073La source5:364Pendant la tempête4:045Les sirènes6:286Renouveau6:247Sous-Bois5:468D'un vieux jardin2:479D'un jardin clair1:5910Cortège1:4311Soleils de septembre6:3812Pour les funérailles d'un soldat9:1413Psaume XXIV4:0414Vieille prière bouddhique8:4715Hymne au soleil3:522019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:12:05
1Shéhérazade: Asie9:382Shéhérazade: La flute enchantée2:583Shéhérazade: L'indifférent4:184Nocturnes: Nuages7:465Nocturnes: Fêtes6:536Nocturnes: Sirènes11:107Faust et Hélène29:222020 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 48:29
1The Sound of Trees: Paisible, boisé4:232The Sound of Trees: Plus lumineux, irisé2:013The Sound of Trees: Céleste, planant3:474The Sound of Trees: Entétant - Tournoyant, hypnotique3:465The Sound of Trees: Apaisé, boisé3:276The Sound of Trees: Mystérieux, flottant2:137Images – série 1: Hommage à Rameau6:388Images – série 1: Mouvement4:279D'un soir triste12:3710D'un matin de printemps5:102021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:01:50
1D'un matin de Printemps for violin and piano5:192Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 "Spring" Allegro9:373Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 "Spring" Adagio molto espressivo5:364Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 "Spring" Scherzo. Allegro molto1:075Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 "Spring" Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo6:446Intermezzo: Cadenza to Benyamin Nuss' "Elegy for Fukushima"1:227Elegy for Fukushima3:418Sonata No.1 I. Modere sans lenteur5:529Sonata No.1 II. Scherzo. Pas tres vite et sans rigeur2:3910Sonata No.1 III. Assez lent4:0411Sonata No.1 IV. Final. Tres vite4:4412Four pieces for violin and piano around Sakura No. 13:1613Four pieces for violin and piano around Sakura No. 22:3314Four pieces for violin and piano around Sakura No. 31:3115Four pieces for violin and piano around Sakura No. 43:452022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 51:51
1D’un matin de printemps5:322Violin Concerto in A major, op. 5, no. 2: I: Allegro moderato11:203Violin Concerto in A major, op. 5, no. 2: II. Largo7:194Violin Concerto in A major, op. 5, no. 2: III. Rondeau5:165Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): I. Introduction3:016Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): II. The Firebird and Its Dance0:177Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): III. The Firebird’s Variation1:238Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): IV. The Princesses’ Round (Khorovod)5:039Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): V. Infernal Dance of King Kastchei4:5610Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): VI. Berceuse4:1011Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version): VII. Finale3:342023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 44:31
1April Preludes, op. 13: No. 1, Allegro ma non troppo1:422April Preludes, op. 13: No. 2, Andante3:223April Preludes, op. 13: No. 3, Andante semplice2:244April Preludes, op. 13: No. 4, Vivo1:515Theme et Variations11:326Trois Morceaux: No. 1. D’un jardin clair2:267Trois Morceaux: No. 2. D’un vieux jardin1:438Trois Morceaux: No. 3. Cortège1:379Sonata appassionata, op. 6: I. Maestoso. Appassionato7:2710Sonata appassionata, op. 6: II. Theme et Variations10:272023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:00:48
1Andromède, poème symphonique14:022D’un matin de printemps5:403D’un soir triste11:084Femmes de légende: Le Songe de Cléopâtre8:195Femmes de légende: Ophélie4:406Femmes de légende: Salomé4:487A Little Summer Suite: Strolling away1:308A Little Summer Suite: Knocks and clocks2:009A Little Summer Suite: Strolling about1:3710A Little Summer Suite: Shakes and quakes1:4211A Little Summer Suite: Strolling under0:3412A Little Summer Suite: Chants and cheers3:1213A Little Summer Suite: Strolling home1:362023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:06:47
1Sonata for Violin and Piano: I. Con moto5:152Sonata for Violin and Piano: II. Ballada: Con moto5:093Sonata for Violin and Piano: III. Allegretto2:464Sonata for Violin and Piano: IV. Adagio4:455Two Pieces for Violin and Piano: No. 1. Nocturne2:456Two Pieces for Violin and Piano No. 2. Cortège1:547Sonata for Violin and Piano: I. Allegro vivo5:108Sonata for Violin and Piano: II. Intermède: Fantasque et léger4:259Sonata for Violin and Piano: III. Finale: Très animé4:3710D’un matin de printemps5:0111Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 82: I. Allegro8:2412Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 82: II. Romance: Andante8:1113Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 82: III. Allegro, non troppo8:252023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 22 tracks · 1:04:31
1Femmes de légende : Mélisande2:232Femmes de légende : Desdémona2:353Femmes de légende : Ophélie4:134Femmes de légende : Viviane2:335Femmes de légende : Phoebé2:396Femmes de légende : Salomé3:317Femmes de légende : Omphale3:518Au gré des ondes : I. Prélude en berceuse2:259Au gré des ondes : II. Claquettes1:0610Au gré des ondes : III. Improvisation1:5711Au gré des ondes : IV. Mouvement perpetuel1:4612Au gré des ondes : V. Hommage à Bach3:0013Au gré des ondes : VI. Étude1:1114The Exterminating Angel : Berceuse4:3415Prélude en ré bémol majeur2:3216Trois Morceaux : I. D’un vieux jardin2:0617Trois Morceaux : II. D’un jardin clair1:3118Trois Morceaux : III. Cortège1:2719Thème et variations en do mineur9:2420L’Isle joyeuse, L. 1065:4721Balcony on a Wednesday Night1:3522Au gré des ondes : I. Prélude en berceuse (reprise ornementée)2:252024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:23:11
1D'un matin de printemps4:482D'un soir triste10:213Trio no. 1, op. 11: I. Allegro - Meno mosso - Tempo I8:194Trio no. 1, op. 11: II. Andante - Animato - Tempo I4:345Trio no. 1, op. 11: III. Presto leggiero3:386Trio no. 1, op. 11: IV. Allegro molto agitato - Poco più mosso5:577Trio: I. Allegro animato4:048Trio: II. Allegro vivace3:159Trio: III. Moderato2:5510Trio: IV. Très animé - Accélérez - Tempo I4:0811Trio: I. Allegro non troppo9:3612Trio: II. 'Der Mutte [sic] der Einfachkeit [sic]?!'6:1713Trio: III. Scherzo. Presto con brio4:0914Trio: IV. Finale. Allegro vivace11:102025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 27 tracks · 1:18:09
1Reflets2:532Attente2:013La Flûte de jade: No. 1. Narcisses1:184La Flûte de jade: No. 2. Pluie de printemps2:105La Flûte de jade: No. 3. Vœu2:116La Flûte de jade: No. 4. Les Trois Princesses2:397La Flûte de jade: No. 5. La Femme au miroir2:008La Flûte de jade: No. 6. Inscription sur un tombeau de la montagne Fou‑Kiou1:459La Flûte de jade: No. 7. La Promenade attristée2:06103 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 1. La Flûte de Pan2:52113 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 2. La Chevelure3:30123 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 3. Le Tombeau des naïades2:5313La Flûte de jade: No. 2. Chant d'amour2:3614La Flûte de jade: No. 4. Nuit d'hiver1:0315La Flûte de jade: No. 5. Li-Si1:4316La Flûte de jade: No. 6. Ki-Fong1:1817La Flûte de jade: No. 7. La Rose rouge2:5818Au Pays où se fait la guerre5:1119La Vie antérieure4:0620Chansons de Bilitis: No. 4. La Flûte de Pan3:2221Chansons de Bilitis: No. 5. La Chevelure3:3522Chansons de Bilitis: No. 6. Roses dans la nuit4:1523Chansons de Bilitis: No. 11. La Nuit4:2324L'Amoureuse des vagues3:3125Les Matelots3:1926Dernier Rêve !3:282710 Poésies mises en musique: No. 7. La Momie5:032025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 34:23
1D'un matin de printemps5:492D'un soir triste9:503Vieille Prière bouddhique6:574Psaume CXXIX6:205Subito con forza5:27Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Boulanger: D’un soir triste
2025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:03:56
1Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: I. Rêveries – Passions14:482Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: II. Un bal. Valse6:263Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: III. Scène aux champs15:474Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: IV. Marche au supplice6:425Symphonie fantastique, H. 48: V. Songe d’une nuit du Sabbat10:156D’un soir triste (version for orchestra)9:58
Album · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Psaumes / Vieille Prière bouddhique / Pie Jesu / Clairières dans le cielSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 19 tracks · 1:21:361Psaume XXIV : « La terre appartient à l'Eternel »3:29 2Psaume CXXX : « Du fond de l'abîme »23:48 3Psaume CXXIX : « Ils m'ont assez opprimé »6:07 4Vieille prière bouddhique7:12 5Pie Jesu4:43 6Clairières dans le ciel : Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie1:44 7Clairières dans le ciel : Elle est gravement gaie1:47 8Clairières dans le ciel : Parfois, je suis triste3:10 9Clairières dans le ciel : Un poète disait1:39 10Clairières dans le ciel : Au pied de mon lit2:16 11Clairières dans le ciel : Si tout ceci n'est qu'un pauvre rêve2:24 12Clairières dans le ciel : Nous nous aimerons tant2:25 13Clairières dans le ciel : Vous m'avez regardé avec toute votre âme1:54 14Clairières dans le ciel : Les lilas qui avaient fleuri2:22 15Clairières dans le ciel : Deux ancolies1:15 16Clairières dans le ciel : Par ce que j'ai souffert2:49 17Clairières dans le ciel : Je garde une médaille d'elle1:28 18Clairières dans le ciel : Demain fera un an7:44 19Nocturne3:20 | Compilation | 29 September 2022 | |
| 2024 | Fragments II - Lili BoulangerSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks · 1:06:141Nocturne (Rework)4:11 2Sometimes I'm Sad (Rework)5:29 3Soleils de Septembre (Rework)3:40 4Reflets (Rework)5:27 5Cortège (Rework)4:52 6Cortège (Rework)4:11 7Cortège (Rework)4:16 8Reflets (Evocation Remix)5:15 9D’un Jardin Clair (Remix)5:40 10The Sirens (Rework)5:36 11Soir Sur la Plaine (Remix)5:12 12Reflets (Rework)4:25 13D'un Jardin Clair (Remix)4:25 14D’un Vieux Jardin (Rework)3:35 | Remix | 20 September 2024 |
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lili Boulanger: D'un vieux jardinSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 3:041Boulanger: D’un vieux jardin3:04 | 4 September 2026 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Lili Boulanger head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 41 | 94.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 29 | 90.1th |
| Studio albums | 26 | 97.7th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 29 | 96.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -42 | 7th |
| Genres | 18 | 99.4th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Prix de Rome | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lili_Boulanger_1.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ef8694eb-09d9-4695-8eee-1c2717564a37discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ef8694eb-09d9-4695-8eee-1c2717564a37core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q230412genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q230412seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_Boulangerbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_Boulangerbiography—wikipedia-fr · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_Boulanger
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (41 language versions, career ended)
Image: unidentified photographer · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q230412 · MusicBrainz: ef8694eb-09d9-4695-8eee-1c2717564a37
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