I first heard of Nadia Boulanger (1897-1979), the great French teacher of composition, from Peggie Sampson, who taught me the cello when I was growing up in Winnipeg, Canada. Peggie had studied with Boulanger in Paris and mentioned her name with a great deal of reverence. Boulanger taught almost every well-known and lesser-known composer of the 20th century including the American greats such as Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Elliott Carter. She was an uncompromising theoret