Lili Boulanger

LILI BOULANGER grew up creatively in the time of late Romanticism and the maturing of the stylistic trends of the new 19^th century. She developed in the professional musical environment of her parents and sister Nadia Boulanger. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire and her talent was directed by Gabriel Fauré. During her short life, she created a style in the aesthetics of French Impressionism and mainly in the vocal-instrumental genres: songs, opera incidental and choral music. She also goes down in history as the first woman to 'break' the tradition of awarding the Prix de Rome for composition to men only, and became the first female composer to be awarded it in 1913 for the cantata Faust et Hélène. It was in the run-up to this competition that in 1912 she wrote a compelling piece: Hymn to the Sun (Hymne au soleil).