Giants in the Earth is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera in three acts and four scenes by composer Douglas Moore.
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.
[2] The Pulitzer jury concluded: "In no opera by an American is there music of such freshness, beauty, and distinctive character.
"[5] 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.
[3] Despite its acclaim, in the decades since first being written Giants in the Earth has scarcely been performed live and no recordings of the opera are accessible to the public.