Musicology as data science and heritage science: presentation of a COST action report (EarlyMuse).

This presentation outlines EarlyMuse, a European COST Action that argues early music studies need a more coherent research ecosystem and stronger integration with data science, heritage science, and AI within European infrastructures. It presents the field’s current fragmentation, explains why EU frameworks such as EOSC, E-RIHS, DARIAH, and the Common Data Space matter, and sets out EarlyMuse’s strategic positioning and recommendations.

A central argument is that musicology must move beyond isolated scholarship toward shared, interoperable, and citable research practices that connect sources, methods, outputs, and recognition to European infrastructures. The presentation frames music as both a cultural heritage domain and a data-rich field, making it a strong test case for new approaches to preservation, analysis, publication, and policy.

The final section proposes a methodological and institutional roadmap based on interoperability, FAIR and CARE principles, human oversight of AI, and coordinated action at individual, disciplinary, institutional, and national levels. Overall, the presentation is both a diagnosis of fragmentation in early music studies and a policy-oriented call for a more integrated, future-facing European research environment.