Getty wrote the eerie gothic Usher House in a dark and dramatic neo-Romantic idiom, and the comic The Canterville Ghost with a lighter touch, heart, and pointed quotations from “Yankee Doodle” and “Rule, Britannia.”

Getty speaks about his work with fluttering fingers raised high above his head. He assumes the ghost role with ease. His music clearly comes both from the heart and his inner ghost. He cautions fellow composers to be true to themselves, and clearly he is. A delightful man, full of good humor, his spirit seems to contradict traditional opera where bad people do awful things. You can’t imagine Getty creating an ugly Scarpia, Fafner or the Devil for that matter.

Yet, as the scrim rises on [Usher House], the transparent music that accompanies the singers is by no means sweet. Getty, who had aspirations to be a singer, clearly sympathizes with the range and textures of the human voice. 

Getty's work is well-crafted. What is most striking is how well it sits in the voice and what a good dramatist he is. The pleasure that he clearly takes in his work is infectious.

Almost all the vocal writing in Usher House is recitativo, so much so that it wears thin on this listener. One can almost predict how the lines will be sung because of the repetitiveness of style, overly laden with fourths and fifths. The one actual aria, the lovely “Where is My Lady” as sung by Poe is proof that Mr. Getty can write effectively, making it all the more frustrating that there is not more. The orchestrations are sparse and rely heavily on creating effects (some bordering on stereotypical kitsch) instead of propelling the story or providing melodic material. It all meanders about, with the final destruction of Usher House rendered with a whimper instead of a bang....

As with Usher House, The Canterville Ghost relies heavily on recitative. There is a need for “smoothing” the libretto, as many scenes end abruptly, with awkward silences filling the air as the next scene is being set....

At the risk of repeating myself, the overuse of recitative, the skeletal orchestration, and the hackneyed musical elements are every bit as present in Canterville as in Usher House. Where The Canterville Ghost succeeds is in its fidelity to Oscar Wilde’s brilliant wit – the music is completely incidental. In spite of this, The Canterville Ghost is a delightful romp....

The audience gave the cast a standing ovation, and when the affable Mr. Getty joined all on stage there were shouts of “bravo!” that filled the hall.

Gordon Getty...has produced a pleasing drama reminiscent of Benjamin Britten’s musical prosody.