Adolphe Charles Adam, a French composer, born in Paris, July 24, 1803, died May 3, 1856. In 1817 he entered the conservatory in Paris, became a skilful pianist, and studied composition under Reicha and Boieldieu. His earliest compositions were fantasias and variations for the pianoforte. He wrote the opera of Pierre et Catherine (1829), and in 1882 composed a ballet for London. His most important work is the opera Le Postilion de Long-jumeau (1836). His Souvenirs d'un musicicn, with his autobiography, was published in 1857.