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 1-25 of 107 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berliner | 01275 | 7-in. | 4/28/1900 | Cantique de Noel | E. Francisco | Baritone vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1283 | 7-in. | 2/24/1902 | O holy night | Herbert Goddard | Baritone vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1283 | 10-in. | 2/24/1902 | O holy night | Herbert Goddard | Baritone vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | B-871 | 10-in. | 12/23/1903 | Noël | Pol Plançon | Bass vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-1050 | 10-in. | 2/27/1904 | Vallons de l'Hélvétie | Pol Plançon | Bass vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | C-3029 | 12-in. | 1/23/1906 | Noël | Pol Plançon | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | E-4013 | 8-in. | 11/7/1906 | Minuit Chrétiens | Edouard Le Bel | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-4158 | 10-in. | 12/27/1906 | Holy night | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-6364 | 10-in. | 8/28/1908 | Cantique de Noël | Evan Williams | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra and cello obbligato | composer | |
| Victor | B-6610 | 10-in. | 11/20/1908 | Holy night | Evan Williams | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra and cello obbligato | composer | |
| Victor | C-8541 | 12-in. | 1/11/1910 | Chanson militaire | Marcel Journet ; Victor Orchestra | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-9759 | 12-in. | 1/5/1911 | Roi d'Yvetot : Overture | Arthur Pryor's Band | Band | composer | |
| Victor | B-13926 | 10-in. | 10/8/1913 | Julsang | Carsten Woll | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | B-14063 | 10-in. | 11/12/1913 | Noël | Venetian Trio (Victor Records ensemble) | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| Victor | C-17218 | 12-in. | 2/23/1916 | Cantique de Noël | Enrico Caruso | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-18063 | 12-in. | 7/6/1916 | If I were king : Overture | Conway's Band | Band, with harp and bells | composer | |
| Victor | C-18538 | 12-in. | 10/10/1916 | Sacred songs no. 1 | Victor Mixed Chorus | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-19124 | 12-in. | 1/24/1917 | Cantique de Noel | Marcel Journet | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-19124 | 12-in. | 9/10/1925 | Noël | Marcel Journet | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-20195 | 10-in. | 7/3/1917 | Konge for en dag | Alfred Halvorsen | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-20254 | 10-in. | 7/26/1917 | Jule nat | Alfred Halvorsen | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-20572 | 10-in. | 9/18/1917 | Jule nat | Nathalie Hansen | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-20828 | 10-in. | 10/3/1917 | O holy night | Lucy Isabelle Marsh | Female vocal solo, with organ, chimes, and mixed vocal quartet | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-20828 | 10-in. | 10/15/1925 | O holy night | Lucy Isabelle Marsh | Female vocal solo, with mixed vocal quartet and pipe organ | composer | |
| Victor | C-23971 | 12-in. | 4/27/1920 | Variations on Mozart theme 'Ah! Vous dirai-je maman' | Mabel Garrison | Soprano vocal solo, with flute and orchestra | arranger |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Adam, Adolphe," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102788.
Adam, Adolphe. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102788.
"Adam, Adolphe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.
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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