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Blue Devil of the Week: An Everlasting Love for Music

Professor R. Larry Todd didn’t let a stroke end his love for music; he continues to play and publish

In his role at Duke, R. Larry Todd teaches undergraduate and graduate students, plays the piano and does research on German composers Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel. Photo by Jonathan Black.
In his role at Duke, R. Larry Todd teaches undergraduate and graduate students, plays the piano and does research on German composers Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel. Photo by Jonathan Black.

Name: R. Larry Todd

Position: Arts and Sciences Professor of Music in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Years at Duke: 41

What he does at Duke: Todd teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the history and analysis of music. “Discovering Music” is a course in Duke’s Graduate Liberal Studies program and is based on a textbook Todd wrote of the same name. The class focuses on the evolution of classical music in the West from the Middle Ages to the present. 

“Music is the core of my being,” he said. “I could not have imagined a better job. It’s the perfect mix of research, teaching and performing.” 

Todd is also a leading scholar on the German composers Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny Hensel. He has written two award-winning biographies about their lives and music.  Mendelssohn, the composer of the famous “Wedding March,” was often described as a second Mozart. His elder sister, Fanny, wrote over four hundred compositions, most of which were unknown until late in the 20th century. 

“As a historian of music, one is always learning,” Todd said, “Not only about the familiar history we assume we know, but also the unwritten history that we do not. When I first published about Mendelssohn, it was nearly impossible to research the music of his sister Fanny. Her work was sealed in archives. That all changed in the 1990s, as one door led to another, which in turn led to another, forcing us to reappraise how we view the 19th century.”  

With cellist Marc Moskovitz Todd co-authored the 2017 book “Beethoven's Cello: Five Revolutionary Sonatas and Their World,” which discusses the cultural and historical contexts of Beethoven's music for cello and piano. “Choice,” a publishing unit from the Association of College & Research Libraries, named the book one of its “Outstanding Academic Titles” this year. 

How he got into music: Todd was drawn to Mendelssohn’s compositions while growing up playing the piano. When Todd got to college, he studied music history while obtaining his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. at Yale University in the 1970s.

“When I was growing up, there was this tendency to dismiss Mendelssohn as a talented but superficial composer whose music did not measure up to Bach or Beethoven,” Todd said. “Because of his Jewish heritage, the Nazis banned his music during the Third Reich, and not until after World War II was his image rehabilitated.”  

R. Larry Todd performs with violinist Katharina Uhde. Photo courtesy of R. Larry Todd.What he loves about Duke: Todd cherishes the opportunity to perform with colleagues in the Department of Music, including Hsiao-mei Ku, a violinist and professor of the practice of music, and Roseen Giles, a flutist and assistant professor of music. 

On September 7, Todd will perform the Dvořák Piano Quintet with Marc Moskovitz and members of the North Carolina Symphony in Durham as a benefit for the victims of the gas explosion in April.

Memorable time at Duke: Todd was playing tennis when he suffered a stroke in December 2012 and lost much of his right side. Doctors initially told him there was a chance he would never walk again or might not have motor function in his right hand to play the piano. 

But, he got better. He gained the strength to stand up and move his right hand after a seven-week stay at Duke Regional Hospital’s Stroke Center. Miraculously, the day he was discharged he played a short concert for other patients on the ward.

“That experience reminded me that it’s easy to take music for granted, but it’s a lifesaver,” Todd said. “Music gave me the strength to get my life back in order.” 

A special object in his workspace: Todd purchased a faux stone brick at the British Museum in London. The brick includes an etching of the Latin saying “Initium est dimidium facti,” which means “beginning is half the task.” 

That phrase meant a lot to Todd during his stroke recovery. 

“I knew it would be a struggle to heal, but at least I started my recovery," he said. "I was headed in the right direction."

First ever job: Duke hired Todd as an instructor in music in 1978 while he was finishing his Ph.D. at Yale. 

“I’ve never known a different employer,” Todd said. “I’ve remained loyal to Duke.” 

Something most people don’t know about him: During his 30s and 40s Todd was an avid tennis player ranked in North Carolina in doubles.   

Is there a colleague at Duke who has an intriguing job or goes above and beyond to make a difference? Nominate that person for Blue Devil of the Week