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

Adam was born in Paris, where his father was a 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 [1].

He died in Paris and was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery.