Adolphe Adam (1803-1856). French composer and musician
Adolphe Adam was a French composer who wrote prolifically for theatre. He was particularly noted for his operas, ballets and the famous Christmas carol, ‘Minuit, chrétiens!’, or ‘O Holy Night’. Adam studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and began writing short, comedic piano pieces for small vaudeville theatres. His early successes in comic opera were with the Théâtre des Nouveautés and the Opéra-Comique, establishing his flair for writing narrative works with character. In 1841, he wrote what has gone on to become his most successful work for ballet, Giselle, with choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. It has become one of the most performed classical ballets globally, in repertory in nearly every major ballet company in the world. Other ballets composed by Adam include Le Corsaire and La jolie fille de Gand. Adam invested greatly in the conception of the Opéra National with the aim of producing his works, however his huge volume of loans and the financial crash caused by the 1848 Revolution in France led to the theatre’s closure and his financial ruin. In order to repay his debts he then began the composition of a great number of works for the Opera Comique, alongside teaching composition at the Paris Conservatoire, where his pupils included Léo Delibes.