Birgit Lodes

Birgit Lodes, University Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies, is a leading scholar in Renaissance music, Beethoven studies, and cultural historiography. Her work bridges textual analysis, manuscript reconstruction, and interdisciplinary methodologies, with a focus on Emperor Maximilian I's court, Viennese Classical period compositions, and music's role in death and remembrance.

As co-director of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn conference marking the 200th anniversary of the Ninth Symphony's premiere, she recontextualized Beethoven's late works through sacred art and performance. She co-edits the Music at the Electoral Court of Bonn series and leads the EarlyMuse COST Action, emphasizing digital prosopography and source analysis.

• Key research areas: 15th–16th-century music (Josquin, Obrecht), Beethoven's sacred/orchestral works, Schubert's imperial connections, Richard Strauss, and music historiography.
• Recent publications examine Beethoven's gift culture, Senfl's motets, and liturgical practices in Austria.

Her supervised students include Carmen Gaggl (psaltery iconography), David Merlin (Winterburger antiphonary), and August Valentin Rabe (music tablets in Renaissance pedagogy). Awards highlight her as a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea. She contributes to documentaries, radio, and concert introductions, notably with the Vienna Academy Orchestra and WDR Choir.