Nadia Boulanger, the grande dame of 20th century music, was born on this date in 1887.

Widely considered to have been the greatest musical pedagogue who ever lived, she was especially instrumental to the development of American composition. Hopefuls flocked to the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, France, where she accepted applicants from all backgrounds. Her only stipulation was that they be determined to learn. It was Virgil Thomson who quipped, “She was a one-woman graduate school, so powerful and permeating that legend credits every United States town with two things: a five and dime and a Boulanger pupil.” The five and dimes may have faded, but not so the legacy of the “Boulangerie.”

Beneath those grey hairs and pince-nez lurked an iron will that brooked no nonsense, yet Boulanger was surprisingly accepting, astonishingly objective, and generally dead-on in her assessments.

Her students included everyone from Dinu Lipatti to Igor Markevitch, from Aaron Copland to Elliott Carter, from Astor Piazzolla to Philip Glass, from Michel Legrand to Quincy Jones, from Leonard Bernstein (unofficially) to “What Makes It Great?” radio host Rob Kapilow.

Here’s what a few of those who benefited from her tutelage have to say about their experiences with her.

Quincy Jones

Harold Shapero

Elliot Carter

Elliot Carter and Ned Rorem

Fascinating documentary, including first-hand accounts, historical footage, and terrific insights. Leonard Bernstein is interviewed in French, beginning around the 7-minute mark:

There’s a live recording of Mme Boulanger conducting the Requiem of her teacher, Gabriel Fauré, from 1968 that’s circulated on various labels, with the BBC Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra. However, this performance too, with the Choral Art Society and the New York Philharmonic, is quite lovely, captured in Carnegie Hall in 1962.

Nadia’s early ambition was to become a composer herself. However, she soon acknowledged that her sister, Lili, was the true talent in this regard and devoted her life to teaching. Sadly, Lili died of Crohn’s Disease at the age of only 24.

Here’s Nadia’s own “Fantaisie variée” for piano and orchestra from 1912, written when she was 25.

And an earlier work, “Cantique” from 1909

Boulanger died in 1979 at the age of 92.

Joyeux anniversaire… et merci!