I composed this piece as part of a larger song cycle, Colores mexicanos, which I wrote as part of
an undergraduate thesis, Colores mexicanos: The Mexican Art Song and Setting Mexican Texts to
Music (2016). This cycle explores various texts from various perspectives throughout Mexican history,
culture, and society, while reflecting influences from Mexican folk and academic music within the
composition.
"Si yo nunca..." is the second piece in the cycle, and like the first, it features text from the
Cantares mexicanos, written by Mexica authors during the beginning of the Spanish viceroyalty
period in the 16th century. This text uses vague, abstract language to emphasize the idea that
human culture never truly disappears, and its fitting for a state freshly defeated by another
civilization. The musical setting features the Andulusian cadence, a compositional device frequently
used in Latin American music, distorted across various octaves and in various figures, as the singer
suggests that there is more after death, a fitting metaphor for an ancient yet very active culture that
still pervades Mexican society today.