Though he has composed many operas over his long career, so far Susannah stands out as Carlisle Floyd's lasting contribution to the genre. One of the most perennially popular American operas, it has earned a place in the repretory of companies inside and outside the U.S. Floyd's powerful adaptation of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men has also recently drawn some well-deserved attention.
Operas
Slow Dusk, opera in one act Libretto by the composer. May 2, 1949, Augustana College, Syracuse, New York
The Fugitives Libretto by the composer. 1951, Tallahassee, Florida [withdrawn]
Susannah, musical drama in two acts Libretto by the composer after the apocryphal Biblical Book of Susannah. composed 1953-54; premiere February 24, 1955, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Wuthering Heights Libretto by the composer after the novel of Emily Brontë. 1958, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico; also revised version 1959, New York City Opera
The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair Libretto by the composer. 1964, Raleigh, North Carolina [composed for television]
Markheim, opera in one act Libretto by the composer after the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. March 31, 1966, New Orleans Opera, New Orleans, Louisiana, Norman Treigle
Of Mice and Men Libretto by the composer after the novel by John Steinbeck. January 22, 1970, Moore Theater, Seattle, Washington
Flower and Hawk, melodrama Libretto by the composer. May 16, 1972, Jacksonville, Florida
Bilby's Doll Libretto by the composer. 1976
Willie Stark Libretto by the composer after the novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. April 24, 1981, Houston Grand Opera, Houston, Texas
Cold Sassy Tree, a musical play in three acts Libretto by the composer after the novel by Olive Ann Burns. April 14, 2000, Houston Grand Opera, Houston, Texas, Patricia Racette
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