Adam’s fa­ther Lou­is taught at the Par­is Con­serv­a­to­ry. Adolphe stu­died un­der him, Hen­ry Le­moine, Ben­o­ist, Rei­cha, and Boiel­dieu, and was a friend of Lou­is Hér­old. Adam re­ceived hon­or­a­ble men­tion in the 1824 Prix de Rome com­pe­ti­tion, then won the prize the fol­low­ing year. In his life, he wrote more than 50 op­er­as and 12 bal­lets; one of the best known is Gi­selle, ou Les Wi­lis (1841). His other works in­clude:

• Richard en Pal­es­tine
• Le Postillon de Long­ju­meau
• Souvenirs d’un mu­si­cien (Par­is: 1857)
• Derniers sou­ve­nirs d’un mu­si­cien (Par­is: 1859)

Sources

Music

1. O Ho­ly Night