Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

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First Advisor

Tyler White

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)

Committee Members

Clark Potter, Fransisco Souto, Gregory Simon

Department

Music

Date of this Version

5-4-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts

Major: Music

Under the supervision of Professor Tyler P. White

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Ramon Araujo. Used by permission

Abstract

This document presents a series of analytical program notes for six orchestral and chamber works spanning four centuries, examined through the intersecting lenses of conductor and educator. The works under consideration, Veracini's Concerto for Violin in D Major, Schubert's Overture to Rosamunde D. 644, Brahms' Serenade No. 2 in A Major Op. 16, Elgar's String Serenade in E Minor Op. 20, Piston's Divertimento for Nine Instruments, and the author's own Tresillos for Orchestra, are treated not merely as historical objects but as active performance problems whose solutions require the integration of scholarly analysis, historically informed practice, and practical conducting preparation.

Each work is approached through a consistent analytical framework: historical and cultural context, movement-by-movement formal analysis, thematic and harmonic language, and performance challenges for both conductor and ensemble. Veracini's concerto is examined as a departure from Vivaldi’s period construction, favoring asymmetric phrase logic and expressive, improvisatory continuity, with attention to six parameters of historically informed Baroque performance practice, including ornamental vibrato, terraced dynamics, metric hierarchy, echo dynamics, messa di voce, and improvisatory ornamentation. Schubert's Rosamunde overture is analyzed in light of its unusual transmission history and its formally distinctive substitution of thematic abundance for development. Brahms' Serenade No. 2 is situated within his early orchestral development, with origins as a projected symphony, unusual scoring without violins or percussion, and a five-movement design. Elgar's String Serenade is examined as a precursor to his later large-scale works, with a focus on its chromatic harmonic language and its significance within the late nineteenth-century English musical revival. Piston's Divertimento is analyzed as a model of American neoclassicism, with detailed attention to its ritornello-form first movement and the balance demands it places on a mixed nonet. Tresillos for Orchestra is presented from the composer's own perspective, tracing the integration of Afro-Caribbean tresillo rhythm, quartal harmony, pentatonic pitch collections, Neo-Riemannian triadic transformation, and Beethovenian motivic development within an ABA1 formal design, and reflecting on the distinct challenges of conducting one's own music.

Taken together, these analyses constitute a practical and scholarly resource for the orchestral conductor engaging repertoire across a wide historical and stylistic range. The recurring emphasis on aligning analytical understanding with certain conducting gestures and rehearsal strategies reflects the author's conviction that musical scholarship and performance practice are not parallel activities but are mutually constitutive.

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