Fond Farewells: Professors Don Franklin and Mary Lewis Retire | Department of Music

Spring is always a time of change and transition for any academic institution, but that change is more acute than ever as the Department of Music wishes a fond farewell to Professors of Musicology Don Franklin and Mary Lewis. Professors Franklin and Lewis have been pioneers in their fields, of Bach scholarship and Medieval and Renaissance music respectively, and intellectual anchors in the life of the music department. There is no doubt that their contributions to and passion for the Department's goals will be sorely missed. The Department of Music held a celebration for Professor Franklin in January and for Professor Lewis in April. Both professors were joined by family members, former staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and administrators from the University for time to celebrate with shared memories and wishes for an invigorating future.

(L-R) Dean N. John Cooper with Don and Joan Franklin

Mary Lewis (C) with former Dept. of Music staff members Paul Riemer (L) and Patricia Cochran (R) Professor Don Franklin has provided international leadership in understanding the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. From his service as president of the American Bach Society, to holding professorships at leading universities in the Germany and the United States, to his numerous publications exploring temporal procedures in 17th and 18th-century music, Franklin has left an indelible mark on his field. Locally, he is perhaps best known for his leadership, with John Goldsmith, of the Bach and Baroque series through which he performed many of J.S. Bach's cantatas, passions, the B minor Mass, and, in a fitting finale, the Christmas Oratorio to sold-out audiences. Professor Franklin's twelve years of service as Chair (1978–84 and 1990–96) helped shape the Department's exceptional reputation for music scholarship. Professor Mary S. Lewis has contributed ground-breaking research in early music and music of the Renaissance. Her three-volume work Antonio Gardano, Venetian Music Printer 1538-1569: A Descriptive Bibliography and Historical Study (Garland Press) received The Music Library Association's 2007 Vincent H. Duckles Award, given annually for the best book-length bibliography or other research music tool. She is the recipient of numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Bunting Fellowship, and many more. Professor Lewis' energy in recruiting for the department's graduate programs is the stuff of legend, and her persistence when engaging prospective students brought many promising young scholars to the music department.

Don Franklin's daughter Sara shares recollections of her father. In the background are (L-R) Deane Root, Francesca Savoia, Mathew Rosenblum, Senior Associate Dean James F. Knapp, and Sue and (former Dean) Peter Koehler.

Franklin's son Christopher, a conductor based in Italy, converses with Professor Nathan Davis.

Franklin's daughter-in-law, Rosella, and grandson, Leonardo accompanied Christopher from Lucca, Italy.

Grad students Yuko Eguchi, Yoko Suzuki, Ben Breuer, Brandi Neal, and alum Sister Marie Agatha Ozah, PhD (now Assistant Professor in Ethnomusicology at Duquesne University) enjoy a moment of camaraderie at Mary Lewis' reception in April.

Lewis' son John (L) converses with grad students James Ogburn and Mathew Gillespie.

Professors Bell Yung and Deane Root with Lewis' husband Bruce Lahr.

Professor Bell Yung joined many members of the faculty and students in sharing memories at Prof. Lewis' reception.

While it is bittersweet see Professors Franklin and Lewis move on to new phases of their lives, the Department of Music will continue to build on their many substantial contributions to scholarship in music.