Nadia Boulanger (1887 – 1979)
Nadia Boulanger was one of the foremost composition teachers of the 20th century. Her students include Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, Virgil Thomson, Elliott Carter, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, and Philip Glass. But she was also a composer.
Nadia Boulanger was born in Paris in a family surrounded by French musicians and composers. Her father had attended the Conservatoire de Paris and won the prestigious Prix de Rome for composition in 1835, and later taught at the Conservatoire. Nadia also began attending the Conservatoire de Paris at age nine. One of her goals was to be the first woman to win the Prix de Rome for composition, and she tried and failed four times, in 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1909, but got further each time.
Nadia Boulanger’s father had died in 1900, and her younger sister Lili was often sick, so Nadia was burdened with support for the family. She turned away from composition following Lili’s death in 1918 and soon began teaching, and that dominated the rest of her life.
Nadia Boulanger didn’t think she was as good a composer as her sister, but you be the judge. This Fantaisie variée for piano and orchestra from 1912 is one of Nadia Boulanger’s few orchestral works.