The central thesis of this master’s thesis is that the performer’s internal states significantly influence the listener’s experience through mechanisms of somatic empathy. Within this framework, music is understood as a universal medium of human experience that enables the transmission and co-creation of emotional and bodily states between individuals. The thesis approaches the topic in an interdisciplinary manner, drawing on perspectives from science, anthropology, and philosophy, and initially frames music as a specific form of non-verbal communication that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries.
The following sections present scientific research describing neurophysiological and psychological mechanisms of interpersonal transmission of affective states, such as emotional resonance, mirror neural systems, and bodily grounded responses in listeners, which are addressed in this thesis under the concept of somatic empathy. Special attention is given to their functioning in the context of classical music performance, where the performer’s internal state is conveyed to the audience through sound expression, bodily presence, and musical interpretation.
The thesis further discusses the prerequisites for an effective musical performance, emphasizing the importance of internal stability, affective alignment, and conscious regulation of bodily and emotional states. At the same time, it addresses factors that may limit the effectiveness of somatic empathy in performance contexts, such as psychological tension, technical rigidity, or disruption of authentic expression. Finally, the work raises the question of how performers can consciously optimize these processes in order to enhance the communicative power of musical performance.
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