1. The libretto comes first.
“I always do what I learned from him: I start at the very beginning and write from the libretto, all the way through to the end. I learned that the reason to do this is to have a cohesive connection, so that the music flows from one part to another.”
2. You can’t imitate.
“You have to find your inner voice. I didn’t have a voice that was my own because I was learning from others. I was writing like the people that my professors had said I should learn from. When I came to Floyd and brought him two or three of my pieces, he just said very bluntly, this is wastepaper basket music. (laughs) And the thing is, I agreed with him.”
3. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
“I was complaining about one time when I had to rewrite something. I said, well, I spent so much time on it. He walked over to his bookcase in his studio, and he touched this stack, and said, Well, these are the 13 rewrites from the brothel scene in Of Mice and Men. But David Gockley convinced me—and he was right—that it had nothing to do with the story. So what could I say? I rewrote it. I had no argument.”
4. Know your worth.
“I remember there was one publishing company that wanted to distribute some of my music and to record it in Budapest with some unknown orchestra. There was a fee, so I would have to pay for the orchestra. I took it to Carlisle and asked him if I should do it. He looked at it and threw it down on the desk and said, this is a vanity press. I’d never heard of the term. He gave me good advice about guiding me in my career choices.”
5. Use your maiden name.
“He would give me personal advice, too, if I asked him. For instance, when I came to him in ’81 at the University of Houston, I was registered at Florida State University with my married name. Carlisle said, Wait a minute, that’s not your maiden name? He said, if you become known, do you want to be known as your ex-husband’s last name? You want his name to go forward, or do you want yours?”
date: 2026-02-13 21:46:00