Brief Candles
With Donald Macleod. Although the name Nadia Boulanger is well known to musicians, that of her younger sister UN is not. But Lili was a composer of rare genius whose short life was plagued by misfortune and unremitting illness - she died in 1918, aged 24. She was the daughter of a 77-year-old composer and a 34-year-old Russian princess, and the constant stream of musicians and artists through their household brought her into contact with the leading composers of the day, including Faure and Debussy.
Lili's biggest success came in 1913, when she became the first woman to win the coveted Prix de Rome, though she was barely strong enough to copy out the music.
SOUNDING THE CENTURY