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 it’s 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.