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222
D. LG 46: Boulanger: Psalm 24 (1916)
1. Choral Psalm setting, 10 verses
2. tenor solo, SATB chorus, brass, harp, organ,
timpani
3. three- part form (A- B- A)
a. Introduction: dramatic, commanding tone
i. fanfare for brass, harp, organ, and timpani
b. A section: martial tone
i. verses 1–3: tenor and basses sing, accented
instrumental exchanges
c. B section: ethereal middle section
i. verse 4: men and organ alone, calmer,
Debussy- like air
ii. verse 5: tenor solo, tranquil
iii. verse 6: unison men with harp, chant- like
d. A section: triumphal tone
i. verses 7–10: full chorus and instruments
ii. close: accelerando, final fortissimo chord
OVERVIEW
The sacred music of Lili Boulanger is the focus of a chap-
ter that introduces the continuing role of sacred music as
a vehicle for composers of the twentieth century. Bou-
langer’s Psalm 24 illustrates the personal touch with
which modernist composers endowed their sacred- music
compositions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To recognize the achievements of Lili and Nadia Bou-
langer as women composers and teachers in French
musical circles traditionally reserved for men
OUTLINE
I. Post- Impressionism, Lili Boulanger, and the Prix de Rome
A. Prix de Rome (Rome prize)
1. prestigious French competition
2. monetary award and three- year grant to study in
Rome
3. instant fame for winner
4. began in seventeenth century; competition open
to women in 1903
5. renowned winners: Berlioz, Bizet, Debussy
B. Lili Boulanger (1893–1918)
1. Pa ri sian composer
2. younger sister of famous pedagogue Nadia
Boulanger
3. musical family
a. Nadia: Prix de Rome second prize, 1908
b. father: Prix de Rome first prize, 1835
4. 1913, first woman to win Prix de Rome
5. chronic illness, fragile health
6. musical style:
a. lyrical, innovative harmonies, complex
counterpoint
b. focus on choral and chamber music
7. output: unfinished opera, sacred and secular cho-
ral works, songs for voice and orchestra, piano
and chamber music
C. Psalm 24
1. choral Psalm setting, French translation
2. sacred music not designed for traditional worship
3. expression of her personal devotion
4. Psalm 24, one of three Psalm settings by Boulanger
a. lyrical, small- ranging melody
b. vague harmonic direction
c. parallel lines evoke Impressionism
Still Sacred: Religious Music
in the Twentieth Century
CHAPTERfi54
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
respectively.
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
or the Jewish Renewal movement. What are the musical
resources (melody, harmony, instrumentation) that are used
to convey those words? Are they the same resources that
experience?
MODEL RESPONSE
text- setting allow the performer to work through a great deal
of text in a fairly short period of time. The text itself has a
feeling of free association, which reflects the singer’s strug-
gle to define his relationship to a higher power. The relaxed
guitar solo beginning at 2:57 sounds much more like a riff
from a rock song than like something you might expect in
reggae, but it effectively adds to the intensity and passion of
2. To understand Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 24 as an individ-
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. Share with your students the list of Prix de Rome (Rome
Prize) recipients in composition since the nineteenth
2. Review with your students the defining characteristics of
musical Impressionism (Chapter 49) and guide them
through a style analy sis of Boulanger’s Psalm 24. Engage
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. What similarities can you detect in Fauré’s Libera me from
his Requiem and Boulanger’s Psalm 24? Working with
TEACHING CHALLENGES
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
224 | Chapterfi54
