Synopsis
It was on this day in 1913 that the French Academy of Fine Arts – for the first time in its history – presented its highest award, the Prix de Rome, to a woman. The honor was awarded to Lili Boulanger, who was just 19 years old at the time. She was born in Paris in 1893, the younger sister of Nadia Boulanger, who would become the most famous teacher of composition in the 20th century, numbering an amazing array of famous American composers among her students, ranging from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass.
Nadia’s sister Lili, however, suffered from poor health. Her tragically short career was interrupted by World War I, when she volunteered to nurse wounded soldiers. She died before the great conflict was over, on March 15th, 1918, at the age of 24.
Nearer to our own time, another woman, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, made history when she became the first woman composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music. That was in 1983, and the piece was her Symphony No. 1. Born in Miami, Florida, in 1939, Zwilich studied composition with Elliott Carter and Roger Sessions at Juilliard, and accomplished another “first” by becoming the first woman to earn the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition at the famous school. Her Third Symphony was commissioned in 1992 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic.
Music Played in Today's Program
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) – Hymne au Soleil (New London Chamber Choir; James Wood, cond.) Hyperion 66726
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) – Symphony No. 3 (Louisville Orchestra; James Sedares, cond.) Koch International 7278
On This Day
Births
1864 - Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomuceno, in Fortaleza
1898 - German composer Hans Eisler, in Leipzig
1906 - English composer Dame Elizabeth Lutyens, in London
Deaths
1971 - Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, age 71, in New York City
1973 - German conductor and composer Otto Klemperer, age 88, in Zürich
1999 - Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, age 97, in Madrid
Premieres
1963 - Leslie Bassett: "Variations for Orchestra," in Rome; Following the American premiere on October 22, 1965 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, this work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1966
1968 - David Del Tredici: "Syzygy" (to a text by James Joyce), in New York City
1977 - Tippett: opera, "The Ice Break" at Covent Garden in London
Others
1913 - In Paris, the Grand Prix de Rome music award is given to 19 year-old Frenchcomposer Lili Boulanger (1893-1918), the first woman to be so honored
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.
