Marie-Juliette Olga "Lili" Boulanger (Aug. 21, 1893 - March 15, 1918) was a French composer, and  the younger sister of the famed composition teacher/composer Nadia Boulanger. Born in Paris, Lili Boulanger was a child prodigy; at the age of two, it was discovered that she had perfect pitch. Her parents, both musicians, encouraged her musical education, and she would accompany her sister Nadia to classes at the Paris Conservatory, studying music theory and organ. Her sister Nadia was one of her teachers, and later on studied with Paul Vidal, George Caussade, and Gabriel Faure, who was particularly impressed by her abilities. Lili would go on to win the Prix de Rome at the age of 19; she was the first woman to ever win the composition prize. Tragically, she died at the young age of 24.

Boulanger wrote for different genres, among which were several works for violin, including Two Pieces for Violin and Piano. The first movement, Nocturne, was written in 1911, and the second, Cortège, in 1914; the publication date wasn't until 1918 however.

The first first movement, Nocturne, starts with the piano playing octaves, and the violin comes in with a simple, thoughtful melody that travels up and down a few steps. The texture thickens up as the violin part becomes more involved, with some tricky runs and a fuller piano part, but the movement ends very calmly.

The second piece in this work, Cortège, has a jaunty, happy-go-lucky melody that makes up the vast majority of this very short movement. There's a more lively section towards the end where the violin has some more technical work cut out for them, and then an exciting finish.

Sadly, we can't find a recording of this delightful work---we hope that changes soon!