Giselle

• Adam’s ballet Giselle premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1841.
• Story: a peasant girl, Giselle, dies forsaken by her rich lover Count Albrecht, yet her spirit saves his life when he is pursued by Wilis, vengeful ghosts of brides who died before marriage.¹
• The music for Giselle was composed in just 3 weeks.²

“It is not a question of working, but of enjoying oneself” (On ne travail plus, on s’amuse)

Adam, on composing ballet.³

1. Oxford Reference, s.v. “Giselle,” accessed July 8, 2019, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095853708
2. Elizabeth Forbes, “Adam, Adolphe,” Grove Music Online, accessed July 8, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000045660.
3. Stephanie Jordan, “The Role of the Ballet Composer at the Paris Opéra: 1820-1850,” Dance Chronicle 4 no. 4 (1981): 375, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567417.