Born on August 21, 1893, Lili Boulanger was surrounded by musicians. Her father Ernest was a composer, her mother Raïssa Mischetzky was a performer, her older sister Nadia mentored many famous composers—including Aaron Copland and Astor Piazzolla—and one of their closest friends was Gabriel Fauré. Unfortunately, as a child, Boulanger was struck with bronchial pneumonia, leaving her with chronic intestinal tuberculosis that eventually led to her death. Far from a victim of circumstance, Boulanger became determined to win the coveted Prix de Rome in composition, studying privately as the result of her condition instead of enrolling full-time at the Paris Conservatoire. At 19, she won on her second try—the first woman to earn the distinction. Five years later, just two months before she succumbed to her terminal illness, Boulanger composed the last works notated in her own hand: D’un Matin de printemps (“Of a Spring Morning”) and its companion, D’un Soir triste (“Of a Sad Evening”). The work’s vigor belies its creator’s fragile health, while Boulanger’s rich exploration of color, melody, and harmony leaves listeners wondering where the composer’s talent might have taken her.