Date of composition: 1917-1918
Premiere: 13 March 1921 at the Paris Conservatoire by the Orchestre Pasdeloup under the direction of Rhené-Baton
Duration: 5 minutes
Lili Boulanger composed the orchestral version of this short tone poem in January 1918, just weeks before her death. It forms the optimistic, cheerful counterpart to D’un soir triste (Of a Sad Evening), which was written shortly beforehand. For both works, the composer created original versions for chamber ensembles as well as for orchestra, and both share identical thematic material. During the final year of the war, the composer retreated to Mézy-sur-Seine, west of Paris, where she was cared for by her elder sister, Nadia, until her untimely death in March 1918.
The seemingly carefree spring morning that Lili Boulanger portrays in this piece is reflected above all in its delicate, highly transparent instrumentation. Dominating the work are harmonic progressions typical of Impressionism, reminiscent of those found in the compositions of Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, or Maurice Ravel. In contrast to its sombre companion piece, the palette here is bright, the melodic flow arabesque-like and almost playful. Lyrical sensitivity defines this score, which depicts a lively start to the day and, with ever-new harmonic twists and rhythmic surprises, concludes with an abrupt, lightly sketched final chord. To this day, D’un matin de printemps remains Lili Boulanger’s most popular and frequently-performed orchestral work.