Relationships Between Visual Imagery, Emotion, and Music During Music Performance

Research has explored the relationship between visual imagery (VI) and emotion in music listening. However, less is known about musicians’ perspectives on, and experiences of, the relationship between VI, emotion, and music during music performance. Eight piano students and two piano tutors performed three variations from Mozart’s “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” twice (natural and with emotion). After performing an excerpt, participants explained their interpretation of the music, the VI they experienced, the sources of this VI, and whether VI was experienced as helpful or unhelpful in any way, using score annotations and verbal explanation. Performances were recorded. A brief interview was held at the end. Thematic analysis of verbal explanations highlighted a dyadic relationship between VI and music, with the background of the music informing VI (composer, personal memories, historical context), and distinct musical features (e.g., simple vs. complex) eliciting different forms of VI. This relationship was experienced as bidirectional with VI supporting music cognition. A second dyadic relationship was observed between VI and emotion with musicians explaining an alignment between VI and perceived and expressed emotions. Musicians experienced varying types and intensities of VI in response to variations in both perceived and felt emotion, with negative emotions eliciting more detailed imagery. In some cases, excessive VI negatively impacted performance. Finally, a triadic relationship was found, showing that musical background and features affect felt and perceived emotion, which in turn impact VI during performance. These findings were illustrated with score annotations, highlighting close interaction with the musical materials. These results offer a nuanced understanding of the relationships between visual imagery, emotion, and music as experienced by performers, with implications for music education and the psychology of performance.