Adam, Adolphe, 1803-1856

Parisian-born French composer Adolphe Charles Adam was the son of Alsatian composer and pianist Johann Ludwig (Jean-Louis) Adam. The latter opposed Adolphe’s musical inclinations, but young Adolphe liked to improvise and was secretive about his composing. At the age of 17 he was allowed to attend the Paris Conservatoire after he promised that his musical interests were only for his own amusement, not for a career. He studied organ and harmonium there under François Adrien Boieldieu but did not keep his promise to his father. By 1830 he had completed 28 works for the theater. To escape the political turmoil in Paris, he went to London for a couple of years. On his return in 1832, he composed more operas, the most popular of which was the 1834 comic operetta “Le Chalet,” a joint effort with his friend, librettist Eugene Scribe. His career was assured with another success, “Le postillon de Longjumeau.” After some differences with the Opéra de Paris, in 1847 he decided to open another opera house in Paris, the Théâtre National. The revolutionary political situation in 1848 meant that it was forced to close, causing him to lose both his own investment and the loans he had undertaken. After his father’s death and heavily in debt, he took a position teaching at the Conservatoire in 1849, where ballet composer Léo Delibes was among his pupils. He worked there until he died in his sleep in 1856. In the course of his prolific career he wrote 70 operas and 14 ballets, the best known of which are Giselle (1841) and Le Corsaire (1856). Although Giselle was not particularly popular at the time, after its revival by famous Russian dancer Sergei Diaghilev in 1910, it became one of the most sought-after roles for ballerinas. He also wrote the Christmas carol “O Holy Night,” known in French as “Minuit, Chrétiennes” or “Cantique de Noël.” Played on the violin by Canadian inventor, Reginald Fessenden, on Christmas Eve in 1906, it was the first piece of music ever broadcast on radio.