Giants in the Earth is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera in three acts and four scenes by composer Douglas Moore. The work uses an English libretto by Arnold Sundgaard after Ole Edvart Rølvaag's 1924-5 novel of the same name. The idea for the opera was originally conceived by Sundgaard, and depicts a story of tragedy and romance among Norwegian American settlers of Dakota Territory in 1873.Eaton, Quaintance (1961). Opera Production: A Handbook, Volume 1, p.73. University of Minnesota Press. . Composed during 1948-1949, the work was premiered on March 28, 1951 at Columbia University's Brander Matthews Theatre by the Columbia Opera Workshop.
The Pulitzer jury concluded: "In no opera by an American is there music of such freshness, beauty, and distinctive character. The music has a life of its own apart from its appositeness to the text... Subject, text, and music avoid the cliché and commonplace and combine for an impression of strength and sincerity."Clifton, Chalmers and Lockwood, Norman (April 9, 1951). "Report of the Pulitzer Prize Music Jury", p.1. New York. cited in Heinz-Dietrich Fischer, Erika J. Fischer, eds. (2001). Musical Composition Awards 1943-1999: From Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber to Gian-Carlo Menotti and Melinda Wagner, p.xxi n.24. Walter de Gruyter. . Moore's compositional style is highly vocal and features a speech-like, through-composed, "lack of melodic repetition," with a, "fluidity and natural feel [to] the vocal lines."McBride, Jerry L. (2011). Douglas Moore: A Bio-bibliography, p.39. A-R Editions. . Contrastingly, the lack of character development and liveliness, the almost complete lack of attention grabbing motifs, the length, and the premiere performance have all been criticized.McBride (2011), p.39-40. Olin Downes of The New York Times wrote that the opera was mostly, "recitative of little inherent significance."
The premiere cast included soprano Brenda Miller Cooper as the central figure Beret, along with Josh Wheeler, Roy Johnson, Vivian Bauer, Sam Bertsche, Helen Dautrich, James Cosenza, Frances Paige, Raymond Sharp, and Edward Black. In 1963 Moore improved the orchestration and depiction of Beret at the request of Carl Fischer Music.McBride (2011), p.59.
The runners up for the Pulitzer that year were Quincy Porter's String Quartet No. 8, Peter Mennin's Symphony No. 5, and David Diamond's Symphony No. 3.
Despite its acclaim, in the decades since first being written Giants in the Earth has scarcely been performed live. Following a major donation from Dean and Rosemarie Buntrock, the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra produced the opera in Sioux Falls in 2025. It was recorded for commercial release in association with Pentatone Records.
Roles RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, 28 March 1951 conductor Willard RhodesPer HansaBaritoneJosh WheelerBeret, his wifeSopranoBrenda Miller CooperHans OlsaBass-BaritoneRoy JohnsonSorrine, his wifeContralto Viviane BauerSyvert TonetsenTenorSamuel BertscheKjersti, his wifeSopranoHelen DautrichHenryTenorJames CosenzaDagmarSopranoFrances PaigeA PreacherBaritoneRaymond SharpO'HaraBassEdward BlockSullivanRoger FarrandOla & Anna, Children of Per and BeretDonald Stammer, Ellen SpencerDancers at the wedding
Synopsis
Act 1 The crest of a low hill, early morning in Spring.
Act 2 Interior of the sod hut of Per Hansa, a June afternoon.
Act 3 Scene 1, Outside the hut. A Sunday morning in September. Scene 2, Interior of the hut. Late at night in February.
References
External links "Moore's Opera Makes World Debut Tonight", Spectator Archive.