Although we have only two arias which were actually completely written down by Composer Frank DiGiacomo, they truly represent the power of this tender and moving play by Gregorio Martinez Sierra. G. Martinez Sierra was both a name and a pen name, presenting the work of both Sierra and his very talented wife, educator Maria de la O Lejarraga. The theme of goodness triumphant in a troubled world suffused their work, prompting a Spanish humorist to remark, “All’s well with the world, says Martinez Sierra, and then says it again.”
The original play tells the story of a closed convent of Spanish nuns, which takes in a baby girl, abandoned at their door. She grows up in their care, and is wooed and won by a fine young man who marries her and takes her with him to America. All the colors of the eternal mother instinct which have been stifled and denied, are explored in this touching play. Given DiGiacomo’s sensitivity to material examining the feminine, it is no surprise that this play caught his attention. The two excerpts offered have never been performed, but have been rendered with synth voice and piano. There is also a piano only version for rehearsal purposes.

The Cradle Song
The Letter to the Mother Prioress mezzo female voice
Aria of Antonio high male voice