Adolphe-Charles Adam, eminent composer of comic operas, was born in
Paris on July 24, 1803. He attended the Paris Conservatory, where he
came under the decisive influence of François Boieldieu, under whose
guidance he completed his first comic opera, _Pierre et Catherine_,
first produced at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on February 9, 1829. His
first major success, _Le Chalet_, was given on September 25, 1834,
enjoying almost fifteen hundred performances in Paris before the end of
the century. Adam subsequently wrote almost fifty other stage works in a
light style. With Boieldieu and Auber he became founder and leading
exponent of the opéra-comique. His most celebrated work in this genre
was _Le Postillon de Longjumeau_, first given at the Opéra-Comique on
October 13, 1836. This work was frequently heard in the United States in
the 1860’s and 1870’s, but has since lapsed into obscurity. Adam was
also a highly significant composer of ballets, of which _Giselle_ is now
a classic; of many serious operas; and of a celebrated Christmas song,
“Noël,” or “Oh, Holy Night” (“_Cantique de Noël: Minuit, Chrétiens_”),
which has been transcribed for orchestra. In 1847, Adam founded his own
theater—the Théâtre National—which a year later (with the outbreak of
the 1848 revolution in France) went into bankruptcy. From 1849 on he was
professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory. Adam died in Paris
on May 3, 1856.
_Giselle_ is one of the proudest achievements of French Romantic ballet.
Through the years it has never lost its immense popularity. With
choreography by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli, it was introduced in
Paris on June 28, 1841. Carlotta Grisi appeared in the title role.
_Giselle_ was an immediate triumph. Since then, the world’s foremost
ballerinas have appeared as Giselle, including Fanny Elssler, Taglioni,
Pavlova, Karsavina, Markova, Danilova, Margot Fonteyn, and Moira
Shearer.
“What is the secret charm of this ballet?” inquires the famous scenic
designer, Alexander Benois. He goes on to answer: “It is mainly due to
its simplicity and clearness of plot, to the amazingly impetuous
spontaneity with which the drama is developed. There is barely time to
collect one’s thoughts before the heroine, who but a moment ago charmed
everybody with her vitality, is lying stiff and cold and dead at the
feet of the lover who deceived her.... It is deeply moving, and the
magic of a true poet ... consists in making us accept without question
any absurdities he may choose to offer us.... No one is inclined to
criticize while under the spell of this strange idyl.”
The ballet text was the collaborative creation of Théophile Gautier,
Vernoy de Saint-Georges, and Jean Coralli. Gautier had read a legend by
Heinrich Heine in _De L’Allemagne_ which described elves in white
dresses (designated as “wilis”) who died before their wedding day and
emerged from their graves in bridal dress to dance till dawn. Any man an
elf met was doomed to dance himself to death. Gautier, recognizing the
ballet potentialities of this legend, decided to adapt it for Carlotta
Grisi. He interested Vernoy de Saint-Georges in assisting him in making
this ballet adaptation and Jean Coralli in creating some of the dance
sequences. “Three days later,” Gautier revealed in a letter to Heine,
“the ballet _Giselle_ was accepted. By the end of the week, Adam had
improvised the music, the scenery was nearly ready, and the rehearsals
were in full swing.”
The ballet text finds Giselle as a sweet, carefree peasant girl.
Betrayed by Albrecht, the Duke of Silesia, she goes mad and commits
suicide. Her grave is touched by the magic branch of Myrtha, Queen of
the Wilis. Giselle arises from the grave as a wili, and performs her
nocturnal dance. Albrecht, who comes to visit her grave, is caught up by
her spell and must dance to his doom.
A master of expressive and dramatized melodies, Adam here created a
score filled with the most ingratiating tunes and spirited rhythms, all
beautifully adjusted to the sensitive moods of this delicate fantasy.
From this score the 20th-century English composer Constant Lambert
extracted four melodic episodes which he made into a popular orchestral
suite: “Giselle’s Dance”; “Mad Scene”; “Pas de deux, Act 2”; and
“Closing Scene.”
From the repertory of Adam’s operas comes a delightful overture, a
favorite in the semi-classical repertory, even though the opera itself
is rarely heard. It is the Overture to _If I Were King_ (_Si j’étais
roi_). This comic opera was first performed in Paris on November 4,
1852; the libretto was by D’Ennery and Brésil. In Arabia, the fisherman,
Zephoris, has managed to save the life of Nemea, beautiful daughter of
King Oman. But Nemea is being pursued by Prince Kador, who does not
hesitate to employ treachery to win her. Nemea is determined to marry
none but the unidentified man who had saved her life. Eventually, the
fisherman is brought to the palace, placed in command of the troops, and
becomes a hero in a war against the Spaniards. Kador is sent to his
disgrace, and Zephoris wins the hand of Nemea.
The oriental background of the opera permeates the atmosphere of the
overture. A forceful introduction for full orchestra and arpeggio
figures in harp lead to a skipping and delicate tune for first violins
against plucked cello strings. The flutes and clarinets respond with a
subsidiary thought. A crescendo brings on a strong subject for the
violins against a loud accompaniment. After a change of tempo, another
light, graceful melody is given by solo flute and oboes. The principal
melodic material is then amplified with dramatic effect.