TROIS MORCEAUX by MARIE-JULIETTE OLGA “LILI” BOULANGER (France, 1893 – 1918)Transcribed for wind ensemble by Anders Högstedt (2021)
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
[#362] June 29, 2026
France | 1914 | Wind Band | Under Represented Composer | Grade 5 | 6’ | Tone Poem
This piece is available for purchase at Skellton
Throughout history, transcriptions have been essential to the artistic and cultural development of the wind band. They opened the door to masterpieces otherwise inaccessible to the medium, providing performers and audiences alike with a broader musical heritage. Beyond serving as valuable pedagogical tools, transcriptions demonstrated the wind band’s unique capacity for color, nuance, and expressive depth, thereby legitimizing it as a serious vehicle of artistic expression. In this light, WASBE’s Composition of the Week seeks to honor such works—proposed by colleagues from around the world—that have shaped the repertoire and affirmed the wind band’s enduring role in the wider musical tradition.
I.D’un vieux Jardin
II.D’un jardin clair
III. Cortège.
Trois Morceaux (Three pieces) by French composer Lili Boulanger is our Composition of the Week.
Here's a more polished and concert-program style version:
Lili Boulanger’s “D’un matin de printemps”, in its wind ensemble transcription, has become a well-established work in today’s wind band repertoire. An excellent alternative is her “Three Pieces”, which display the same refined musical language and characteristic compositional style.
The three movements are:
I. D’un vieux jardin
II. D’un jardin clair
III. Cortège
With a total duration of approximately six minutes, the work offers a concise yet highly expressive musical experience. The scoring is remarkably subtle and transparent, showcasing Boulanger’s gift for delicate colors, nuanced textures, and elegant craftsmanship.
Scoring:
2 flutes (picc), Oboe, English Horn, Solo Clarinet in A, 3 Clarinets, Bass-Clarinet, Bassoon (Double Bassoon), Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, 2 Horns, Cornet, 2 C-Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, 2 Percussions (Triangle, Cymbals, Bass Drum and Glockenspiel), Double Bass.
“A woman had won the Prix de Rome composition prize for the first time ever. The Parisian had barely turned 20 and was younger than all her competitors. Not only was she a woman, but the score also she had delivered – the cantata Faust et Hélène – was truly astonishing. A great compositional talent was thereby catapulted onto the European cultural scene, accompanied by a famous sister, Nadia Boulanger, who would also make her mark on musical history. Lilli’s success was enormous. However, there were long, dark shadows in the background. The young composer was seriously ill and had been for a long time. We now know that she suffered from Crohn’s disease, and died at the age of just 24, leaving her beloved sister Nadia and depriving history of a great composer who would surely have gone on to write many more pieces and whose true potential will never be known. What would French music have been today if she had lived? And what would the history books have told us about women in music if Boulanger had achieved her full genius? Trois morceaux was written in 1914 during Boulanger’s time at the Villa Medici, a stay that was part of the Prix de Rome prize she had won the year before. Here, we encounter a more impressionistic Boulanger, where the relationship with the older composer Claude Debussy becomes apparent. Högstedt gives the piano work an airy orchestration and a transparent, contemporary tonal treatment, once again confirming his mastery of instrumentation for woodwind.” Program notes by editor.
Lili Boulanger was a French composer whose remarkable talent made her one of the most important musical figures of the early 20th century. Born in Paris in 1893 into a highly musical family, she was the younger sister of the renowned teacher and composer Nadia Boulanger. Despite chronic illness throughout her life, Lili developed an extraordinary musical voice characterized by rich harmonies, emotional depth, and innovative orchestral colors.
In 1913, at the age of 19, she became the first woman ever to win the prestigious Prix de Rome with her cantata Faust et Hélène, a landmark achievement in a field long dominated by men. Her notable works include “Pie Jesu”, “Vieille prière bouddhique”, “D’un matin de printemps”, and several powerful settings of biblical psalms.
Boulanger’s career was tragically short. She died in 1918 at just 24 years old, but her music continues to be celebrated for its originality, expressive intensity, and influence on later composers. Today, she is regarded as one of France’s most gifted composers and a pioneering figure for women in classical music.
