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Adolphe Charles Adam (July 24, 1803 – May 3,
1856) was a France|French composer and critic.

Adam was born in Paris, where his father was a
piano|pianist, music teacher, and composer. As a
child, he preferred to improvise music, rather
than studying pieces by others. He entered the
conservatory in 1821, studying organ and harmonium
under François-Adrien Boieldieu. His father did
not encourage him to pursue a music as a career.
By the time he was 20, he was writing songs for
Paris vaudeville houses and playing in the
orchestra at the Gymnaste, where he later became
chorus master.

In 1825, he helped Boieldieu prepare parts for La
dame blanche and made a piano reduction of the
score. He was able to travel through Europe with
the money he made, and he met Eugène Scribe, with
whom he was later to collaborate, in Geneva. By
1830, he had complete 28 theater works.

He is probably best remembered for the ballet
Giselle (1841). He wrote several other ballets and
39 operas, including Le Postillon de Longjumeau
(1836) and Si j'étais roi (1852).

After quarreling with the director of the Opéra,
Adam invested his money and borrowed heavily to
open a third opera house in Paris: the Théâtre
National. It opened in 1847, but had to be closed
because of the Revolution of 1848, leaving Adam
with overwhelming debts. He briefly turned to
journalism to try to extricate himself. From 1849
to his death, he taught composition at the Paris
Conservatoire.

His Christmas carol "Cantique de Noël", often
known by its English title "O Holy Night", has
become an international favourite and may have
been the first music broadcast on radio
http://www.cyberhymnal.com.

He died in Paris and was buried in the Cimetière
de Montmartre|Montmartre Cemetery.