Adolphe Adam
Adolphe Charles Adam (French: [adɔlf adɑ̃]; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets Giselle (1841) and Le corsaire (1856), his operas Le postillon de Lonjumeau (1836) and Si j'étais roi (1852) and his Christmas carol "Minuit, chrétiens!" ("Midnight, Christians", 1847, known in English as "O Holy Night"). Adam was the son of a well-known composer and pianist, but his father did not wish him to pursue a musical career. Adam defied his father, and his many operas and ballets earned him a good living until he lost all his money in 1848 in a disastrous bid to open a new opera house in Paris in competition with the Opéra and Opéra-Comique. He recovered, and extended his activities to journalism and teaching. He was appointed as a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, France's principal music academy. Together with his older contemporary Daniel Auber and his teacher Adrien Boieldieu, Adam is credited with creating the later Romantic French form of opera. |
Birth and Death Data: Born former 3rd arrondissement of Paris (one of the 12 administrative districts of Paris, France, before 1860), Died May 3, 1856 (former 2nd arrondissement of Paris (one of the 12 administrative districts of Paris, France, before 1860) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1900 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, arranger, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 107 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | C-25552 | 12-in. | 9/8/1921 | Variations on a Mozart air | Amelita Galli-Curci | Soprano vocal solo, with flute and orchestra | arranger | |
| Victor | C-26530 | 12-in. | 6/14/1922 | If I were king : Overture | Josef Pasternack ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-26846 | 10-in. | 8/28/1922 | Holy night | Lewis James | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-28166 | 12-in. | 7/5/1923 | Holy night | Reinald Werrenrath | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-33469 | 10-in. | 10/23/1925 | Holy night | Lucy Isabelle Marsh | Soprano vocal solo, with mixed vocal chorus and pipe organ | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-33542 | 10-in. | 10/5/1925 | Holy night | Victor Salon Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-33777 | 12-in. | 11/11/1925 | Famous sacred songs, no. 1 | Trinity Choir | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-36610 | 12-in. | 10/7/1926 | O holy night | William F. L'Ecluse | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-36825 | 10-in. | 10/14/1926 | Julesang | August Werner | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-53488 | 10-in. | 7/3/1929 | If I were king : Overture | Rosario Bourdon ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-53489 | 10-in. | 7/3/1929 | If I were king : Overture | Rosario Bourdon ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-53549 | 10-in. | 6/7/1929 | Si yo fuera rey : Obertura | Marimba Centro-Americana | Marimba band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-53550 | 10-in. | 6/7/1929 | Si yo fuera rey : Obertura | Marimba Centro-Americana | Marimba band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-64071 | 10-in. | 3/5/1931 | Christmas song | Clawson Beswick Van Siclen | Boy soprano vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-64394 | 12-in. | 12/5/1930 | O holy night | William J. Amerling | Boy soprano vocal solo, with flute and piano | composer | |
| Victor | BS-74819 | 10-in. | 12/7/1932 | Cantique de Noël | Maria Mercedes Folz | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BS-87140 | 10-in. | 12/20/1934 | Oh! Holy night | Helen O'Leary | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Vi cat 99712] | 12-in. | November 1907 | Aria da Nemea | Medina de Souza | Female vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-067645 | 10-in. | 8/14/1941 | Oh holy night | Emile Coté ; Victor Chapel Choir | Mixed vocal chorus, with tenor vocal solo and organ | composer | |
| Victor | E0VB-3702 | 10-in. | 7/13/1950 | O, holy night | Dennis Day ; Mitchell Boys Choir | Male vocal solo, with male vocal chorus and organ | composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-1593 | 10-in. | 8/27/1947 | It came upon the midnight clear | Dick Leibert | Organ solo | composer | |
| Columbia | 50 | 7-in. | between 1901 and September 1902 | Cantique de Noël | Artists vary | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 50 | 10-in. | approximately 1901 | Cantique de Noël | Artists vary | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 994 | 7-in. | between 1902 and October 1905 | Le brasseur de Preston : Overture | Columbia Band | Band | composer | |
| Columbia | 994 | 10-in. | approximately 1902 | Le brasseur de Preston : Overture | Columbia Band | Band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Adam, Adolphe," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102788.
Adam, Adolphe. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102788.
"Adam, Adolphe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Adolphe Adam
Discogs: Adolphe Adam
Allmusic: Adolphe Adam
Grove: Adolphe Adam
IMSLP: Adolphe Adam
RISM: Adolphe Adam
IMDb: Adolphe Adam
Britannica: Adolphe Adam
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Adam, Adolphe, 1803-1856 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80057007
Wikidata: Adolphe Adam - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q189544
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/12370239
MusicBrainz: Adolphe Adam - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ece590a3-ae0e-4311-bcf3-ee07cfb7b4f0
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/54686 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/54686
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