Biography
Adolphe Adam, a composer active during the Romantic era, produced operas and ballets along with a smaller body of religious works, though the latter never matched the caliber of his theatrical output. Ballet remained his chief focus and greatest strength. An early exposure to Herold prompted him to concentrate on music for the stage rather than other forms. He rarely visited museums or took interest in natural scenery; instead he devoted his attention, whether in Paris or while traveling, to performances at the Opera-Comique. Recognition arrived in 1824 and 1825 when he received an honorable mention in the prix de Rome and then captured the prize itself the following year. Those honors led directly to his assisting Boieldieu on the comic opera La dame blanche. Adam prepared piano reductions of selections from that score, and the proceeds financed his travels. During those journeys he met the librettist Eugene Scribe, whose guidance introduced him to the craft of writing for the lyric stage. Roughly seventy operas stand to his credit, among them La chalet, which achieved particular success in France, and Le postillon de Lonjemeau, which gained comparable favor in Germany. Few musicians could equal his facility at composing, conducting, and arranging theatrical scores; one notable occasion found him leading Le brasseur de Preston before Tsar Nicholas I in St. Petersburg, where the work had been dedicated to the monarch. His circle encompassed choreographer Gautier and dancer Taglioni, and ballet scores came readily to him. Giselle became his best-known ballet, with Carlota Grisi in the title role. After his father died, Adam found himself without resources and accepted a post as a journalist. Composition nevertheless continued, and financial security eventually returned, yet he persisted with journalistic work. Through his contributions to ballet and comic opera he shaped theatrical practice, while also publishing critiques of Meyerbeer, Verdi, and Berlioz.
Albums
