The project examines various forms of musical representation and associated discourses and constructions (including those of identity and memory) within their historical, social, and topographical contexts. The focus is on music and musical life in Austria, with the latter understood within its respective historical boundaries. This context also necessitates understanding (the struggle for) musical-cultural heritage against the backdrop of the specific constitution of the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Habsburg monarchy. National appropriations (anthems, hymns, folk songs) appear alongside transnational musical memory sites (e.g. Mahler’s symphonies and the operetta). After the collapse of the monarchy at the end of World War I, musical life in Austria is caught between the poles of national self-determination based on a rich musical tradition and moderate, and in some cases radical, efforts at renewal. The musical developments in neighboring countries provide a crucial point of comparison.