ALMAS DEBARRO
Santiago Veros composed Almas de Barro at the age of 19 as a class assignment during his first year of composition studies. Originally conceived as a counterpoint exercise for threepart treble voices, the piece quickly became a more personal exploration of adolescent longing and silence.
Inspired by fleeting moments of eye contact during music theory classes, the work reflects the inner world of someone too shy to speak, trying instead to capture connection through music. At its core, Almas de Barro is a fantasy: a story that never happened, a brief dream held between glances.
The music begins without text—voices circling each other in hesitant imitation, expressing proximity and avoidance in equal measure. As the piece unfolds, the lines grow more independent, and with them, a sense of solitude emerges. By the end, the dream dissolves, leaving only the echo of what never came to be.
Over the years, the piece evolved significantly. Though written as a student work, it was revised multiple times until reaching the final version known today. Its simplicity, sincerity, and emotional clarity have made it one of Veros’s most widely performed works.
Lyrics
Se funden a lo lejos
Con sueños en el silencio
Del dulce abrazo
De los ojos.
Se unen los sueños
En soledad:
Y las almas perdidas se unen
En el susurro
Del dulce abrazo
Y las caricias de las sombras, Despiertan sueños.
Y las almas perdidas, Se funden en sueños.
The lost glances Meld.
They merge in the distance With dreams in the silence Of the eyes’ Sweet embrace.
Dreams unite In solitude.
And the lost souls merge In the whisper Of the sweet embrace, While the shadows’ caress Awakens dreams.
And the lost souls, Meld into dreams. All vowels in this piece follow Spanish pronunciation. “Uh” is sung as [u], like “oo” in moon, and “Oh” as [o], like in solo. Performance Note
Writen during December2009
Santiago Veros Music Catalog
Galaxias
Galaxias
La Magia del Río
The Last March of Destiny
The Last March of Destiny (orch.)
Ritual del Nuevo Día
Ritual del Nuevo Día
Almas de Barro
Almas de Barro
O Magnum Mysterium
O Magnum Mysterium
Lake of Stars
Lake of Stars
I Will Dream With You
I Will Dream With You
O Crux
O Crux
O Crux
Human
Incertitude
Land of Angels
Land of Angels
Crucifixus
The Secret of Life
Entre Humanos
Alleluia
Cuando Neruda Soñó
Radiance
Kyrie, Eternal Unity Mass
Down By The Salley Gardens
Mantra
Ven a Cantar (Mambo)
Glaciares
Looking for Home
SATB divisi Choir, Piano & Crystal Glasses
SSAA divisi Choir, Piano & Crystal Glasses
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, and Orchestra
SSAA Choir, Alto Solo, and Percussion (optional)
TTBB Choir, Baritone Solo, and Percussion (optional)
SSA divisi Choir, a cappella
TTB divisi Choir, a cappella
SSAA divisi Choir, a cappella
TTBB divisi Choir, a cappella
SSAA Choir, Soprano Solo, and piano reduction
Full Score, Alto Flute & String Quintet
SATB divisi Choir, Soprano Solo & Piano Reduction
Full Score, Clarinet, Piano & String Quintet
SSAA Choir, a cappella
TTBB Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SSAA divisi Choir, Alto Solo, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
TTBB Choir, a cappella
SSAA Choir, a cappella
TTBB divisi Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SSAATTBB Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SATB divisi Choir, Full Orchestra
SATB divisi Choir, Full Orchestra
Soprano Soloist and String Quintet
SSAA divisi Choir, Optional Sitar
SATB divisi Choir, a cappella
SSAATTBB Choir, Organ & String Quintet
SSAATTBB divisi Choir, a capella
To order:
SV1001A
SV1001B
SV1002
SV1003A
SV1003B
SV1004A
SV1004B
SV1005A
SV1005B
SV1006A
SV1006B
SV1007A
SV1007B
SV1008A
SV1008B
SV1009A
SV1009B
SV1009C
SV1010
SV1011
SV1012A
SV1012B
SV1013
SV1014
SV1015
SV1016
SV1017
SV1018A
SV1019A
SV1020A
SV10221
SV1022
SV1023
SV1024
