Fauré Boulanger Saint Saëns

Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) had an enormous influence on 20th-century music as a teacher of composition to, among others, Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, and Pauline Hall. She soon stopped writing her own pieces, but Fantasy for piano and orchestra from 1912 is a forceful expression of her talent.

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) was one of Boulanger’s own teachers. Sicilienne is one of his most famous pieces.

Fauré was himself a student of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), and the two later remained friends for life. Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 of 1886, the so-called Organ Symphony, is his most popular orchestral work. When the organ joins the orchestra in the last part of the symphony, it is time for on of the most potent closings in the history of music.