The comparable merits of Lili and Nadia Boulanger

[Lat-Literal]

Any thoughts?

Unusual cross-references to the Brontes would be welcome but are not required.

[richardfinegold]

One of them lived a lot longer than the other...

[BBMmk2]

Lili was a composer of immense talent and great fortitude in her final days due to her terminal illness. With her sister Nadia, who assisted her in writing , I think , Élegie? Nadia was the most inspirational teacher to numerous twentieth century composers, who dominated the western classical music world.

[Richard Tarleton]

Nadia at Dartington, described by Muriel Nissell in "Married to the Amadeus" - "...and the musicologist and teacher, Nadia Boulanger - spinsterish with her long grey hair framing her face, austere as she peered through her glasses, but immensely lively and brimming over with musical knowledge and advice".

[Serial_Apologist]

Whereas I think Lili was wed to the French Late Romantic/Impressionist school, as, broadly speaking, would have been representive of many French composers of her pre-Les Six era, Jacques Ibert being typical in this respect, her sister was strongly in sympathy with Stravinskyian Neo-Classicism, which she apparently did her utmost to instil in her pupils, from Lennox Berkeley to Grazyna Bacewicz. No doubt Nadia, like Ibert, underwent something of an aesthetic re-orientation along similar lines as the current orthodoxies changed, though I've no idea what her views on the post-WW2 avant gardes were.

[Bergonzi]

As someone who briefly played under Nadia I think she was something pretty special. But don't ask me why, it was a bloody long time ago ...

[Lat-Literal]

Thank you to all.

Whereas I think Lili was wed to the French Late Romantic/Impressionist school, as, broadly speaking, would have been representive of many French composers of her pre-Les Six era, Jacques Ibert being typical in this respect, her sister was strongly in sympathy with Stravinskyian Neo-Classicism, which she apparently did her utmost to instil in her pupils, from Lennox Berkeley to Grazyna Bacewicz. No doubt Nadia, like Ibert, underwent something of an aesthetic re-orientation along similar lines as the current orthodoxies changed, though I've no idea what her views on the post-WW2 avant gardes were.

We agree, I think, that Lili is very underrated as a composer but it never ceases to amaze me just how many times Nadia's name crops up in terms of influence on other composers.

Quite a range of them too.