Carlisle Floyd

Carlisle Floyd was an important American opera composer of the second half of the 20th century. His operas, for which he wrote his own librettos, are characterized by lyrical vocal writing and a folksy style. Many are set in the American South and are based on classic American literature. Susannah, based on a book of the Apocrypha but set in rural Tennessee, was an early success that has proved to be his most durable work, with numerous worldwide performances. Among his other best-known operas are Of Mice and Men, Willie Stark, and Cold Sassy Tree.