Lili Boulanger: Concert Analysis

Lili Boulanger was born on August 21, 1983 to Raissa Mysheskaya, Russian princess, and Ernest Boulanger, French conservatoire teacher. She came from a musical background from her parents and grandparents. Lili’s mother was a professional singer, her father was a composer, grandfather was a musician, played the cello, and also her grandmother was professional singer. Her musical abilities were seen at age two and were encouraged to continue her musical education by her parents. Boulanger’s family was very involved with music once her father died when her was seventy-seven years old. Lili’s and her sister first lessons were from her mother then went on to study with eminent musicians. Lili could play many instruments including the harp, violin, cello, and piano. Around age sixteen, she started to study musical composition. Lili entered a child composition competition, but fell ill during the competition and had to withdraw. She entered again the following year and become the first woman to win the coveted prize, she was a co-winner due to last previous year not having a winner. Her composition that won was Faust et

This piece is made up of a chorus and Orchestra/Ensemble. The soloist part is a soprano. This work is dedicated to Madame Jane Engel Bathori. The piece is about the mermaids that are known to be sirens. Sirens, souls of the dead, are sea nymphs are daughters of the sea god, Phorcys. Some legends say that the appearance of the sirens are women heads on a birds but some are also mermaids that have amazing beauty. With their such sweets voices used it to lure men that were sailing on the sea and crash their boats into rocks and kill them. Some of the sirens would sing and when the men would get off their boats to see what the song was, mermaids would lure them down the water and make them drowned. Sirens would play flutes or sing based on the abilities and