“The Virgin With Angels”.
Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905).
Date: 1900.
Current location: Petit Palais, Paris, France.
Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center image
Copied from English Wikipedia to Commons.
Author: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905).
(Wikimedia Commons)
“O, Holy Night”.
Sung by Celine Dion.
Available on YouTube at
"O Holy Night" ("Cantique de Noël") is a well-known Christmas Carol, composed by Adolphe Adam, in 1847, to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians), by a wine merchant and poet, Placide Cappeau (1808–1877).
In Roquemaure, France, at the end of 1843, the Church Organ was renovated. To celebrate the event, the Parish Priest asked Cappeau, a native of Roquemaure, to write a Christmas poem. Cappeau did it, although being a professed Anti-Cleric and Atheist.
Soon after, Adam wrote the music. The Carol was premiered in Roquemaure, in 1847, by the Opera Singer Emily Laurey.
Unitarian Minister John Sullivan Dwight, Editor of "Dwight's Journal of Music", created a singing edition, based on Cappeau's French Text, in 1855. In both the French original, and in the two familiar English versions of the Carol, the Text reflects on The Birth of Jesus and of Humanity's Redemption.
A wonderful focus as usual, Zephyrinus, on this most beautiful Christmas sacred piece. Adolph’s Adam, the composer of the music to Cappeau’s poem, had a hard and difficult life, we find: his father was a professor at the Paris Conservatory but did his best to dissuade him from a career in music. Nonetheless the younger Adam was admitted to the school and was a successful student. At age 23, he assisted one of the other professors, Boildieu, in the orchestration of the latter’s opera, “Le Dame Blanche,” which was a success, and then Assm enterprisingly transcribed it to piano, and sold it for popular sale, making a small fortune. Next followed many successful compositions; but what really launched Adolphe Adam’s career was his turning to ballet, and his work, “Giselle,” with many fine melodies and a memorable plot.
ReplyDeleteAdam had many following successes in the field of ballet, but his real love was opera—which is seen in the slowly developing musical lines and the “Mt Olympus” operatic vocal range required for the final dramatic resolution of “O Holy Night.” -Note by Dante P
#2 Adolphe Adam: Adam during the years 1830-1848 was at the zenith of his success, of course writing the music for “O Holy Night” as a “side-job” in 1847 for an organ dedication (he was also trained at the conservatory as a very fine organist and pianist), as mentioned by Zephyrinus here.
ReplyDeleteHowever, tragedy followed Adam when he turned to his desired field, comic opera: he tried to open a rival opera house the following year as competition to the 2 established institutions in the Paris music scene, the Paris Opera, and the Opera Comique. Financing it with his own money, it disastrously suspended operation due to the Paris “Commune” Revolution of 1848; and finally he had to declare bankruptcy later that year partly due to the resulting economic and societal chaos.
Nonetheless, Adam did not give up and worked tirelessly, continuing to compose until he had paid off all the debts he owed. He had several later smaller musical successes, but he finally had a huge success with his ballet, “Le Corsaire” in January, 1856, and was also praised for his last work, “Les Pantins de Violette,” which he premiered in late April, 1856. But, exhausted by the work loads and the many directorial late nights with little rest, much like Bizet, he died in his sleep, 4 days later, May 3rd, 1856.
So of the many great composers of the 19th century, Wagner, Liszt, Beethoven, even Brahms, who did compose music for Christmas, of all of them, it is Adolphe Adam who during his short not-even 53-year-old life whose Christmas composition “Cantique de Noel,” what we know as “O Holy Night,” whose piece we most often hear today. May God bless his memory forever. —Note by Dante P
Most grateful to Dante P for this excellent background information on the origin of "O Holy Night". An invaluable contribution. Thank You.
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