Lili And Boulanger Research Paper

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History has come to know world renowned female composers Lili and Nadia Boulanger. Both women are very crucial to the development of women in music, and even modern composers today. Being sisters, Nadia and Lili’s accomplishments can be seen as triumphant honors to the Boulanger legacy. While Lili is known to be more of a composer (being the first woman to win the much coveted Prix de Rome), Nadia is known to be one of the most influential musical teachers of the 20th century. But with both women starting as composers, why did Nadia’s composing suddenly stop after Lili’s death in 1919? More importantly, how did the relationship of these two sisters shape Nadia’s music career into the success it is known for today? Throughout this research …show more content…

Ernest Boulanger was her father and was a very respected professor at the Paris Conservatory. Her mother, Raissa Myschetsky was a Russian princess, and a former student of Nadia’s father. Coming from very successful parents, Nadia had a lot to live up to. Nadia’s father won the Prix de Rome at the age of 20, and Nadia’s mother had trained in music her entire life. It is said that Nadia hated music as a small child, and would plug her ears and hide when sirens would go by their home. Nadia would only come to start embracing music when she was five. This also happened to be the time that her mother was pregnant with Nadia’s sister Lili. Once this time came, Nadia was very active in her musical studies and started to pay more attention to the lessons her father taught. Lili Boulanger was born in August, 21st 1893, Nadia was six at the time. Lili had perfect pitch and a love for singing. She studied harmony, played piano, violin, cello and even the harp. Lili was exposed to music at a very young age. This was not only from her parents, but from accompanying Nadia at her musical lessons. From this time, we can see that Nadia and Lili started with a very close relationship as young children. Lili began her lessons at around the age of

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