2006 Balzan Prize for the History of Western Music since 1600
For his wide-ranging research activity in the field of musicology; for his penetrating, memorable insights into great works of music; for his profound commentaries on musical phenomena as well as his editorial direction of the new edition of the encyclopaedia Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, which makes the newest research accessible to a wide circle of musicians and music lovers.
Excerpt from The Balzan Prizewinners’ Research Projects: An Overview 2020