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A Pianist’s Guide to Lili Boulanger’s Thème et Variations

Qian, Yu
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1703361572044069

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Musical Arts, Ohio State University, Music.
Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), best known as the first female composer to win the Prix de Rome in 1913, died at age twenty-four from chronic illnesses. She composed several significant choral works, but only a few of her piano works have survived. This research has a central focus on Lili Boulanger’s piano work, Morceau pour piano: Thème et Variations, and constitutes a guide consisting of a historical and biographical overview of the composer, a comprehensive analysis of the compositional styles used in the Variations, and a detailed performance guide based on a copy of the holograph manuscript. This study describes Lili Boulanger’s life through the two contrasting personalities that coexist within her and are also reflected in her music. Preparatory repertoire for approaching the Variations is also suggested. An original organ transcription of the Variations by the author will be introduced. The premise of this study is to provide a full-sided guide of the Variations to assist future performers and instructors in making good decisions regarding the style and interpretation of Lili Boulanger’s music. Besides addressing pianists’ and instructors’ needs for the work in a detailed manner, this study also calls attention to the need for scholars to translate and publish more biographies, diaries, or correspondence to further assist with further studies on Lili Boulanger. This year marks 130 years since Lili Boulanger’s birth. It is a special year to revive her music, to demonstrate its worthiness for audiences and publication, and to bring her spirit back.
Caroline Hong (Advisor)
Arved Ashby (Committee Member)
Kenneth Williams (Committee Member)
156 p.
Music
Lili Boulanger, Thème et Variations, Variations, Pianist, Piano, Guide, Performance Guide, French music, Female Composer, Prix de Rome, Nadia Boulanger, Organ, Organ transcription

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Qian, Y. (2024). A Pianist’s Guide to Lili Boulanger’s Thème et Variations [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1703361572044069

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Qian, Yu. A Pianist’s Guide to Lili Boulanger’s Thème et Variations. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1703361572044069.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Qian, Yu. "A Pianist’s Guide to Lili Boulanger’s Thème et Variations." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1703361572044069

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1703361572044069
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© 2023, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License A Pianist’s Guide to Lili Boulanger’s Thème et Variations by Yu Qian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.