BETWEEN BODY AND TEXT: THE MUSICIAN’S SOMATIC INTELLIGENCE AS THE BASIS OF EMOTIONAL INTERPRETATION

Abstract

The article analyzes the phenomenon of somatic intelligence as a central mediator between the musical text and the emotional experience embodied in performance. It addresses the corporeal nature of musical thinking, emphasizing that the interpretation of a musical work is not merely an analytical act but a deeply embodied and emotionally charged process. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the study integrates methods of performance analysis, phenomenology, emotional intelligence theory, and contemporary frameworks of embodied music cognition. Special attention is given to articulation as an external manifestation of the performer’s emotional intention. The purpose of this article is to outline the concept of somatic intelligence as a key link between the musical text and the expressive-emotional dimension of performance. Somatic intelligence is examined in relation to the musician’s emotional and cognitive intelligences, forming a triad of interrelated components of interpretative activity that directly influence the articulation of sound.This threefold perspective allows for a description of the body, affect, and consciousness as integrated, interdependent domains that shape the nature of musical gesture. Scientific novelty.For the first time in Ukrainian musicological discourse, the study offers a systematic interpretation of the musician’s somatic intelligence as a distinct entity situated between emotional and cognitive intelligences, which directly shape interpretative strategy. The article proposes a model of body– text interaction as a productive framework for analyzing the performance process, wherein the musician’s body functions not as a passive tool of technique, but as an active transmitter of meaning and emotional states. As a result, the study reveals mechanisms through which the musical text is transformed into emotionally colored sound via bodily articulation (breathing, gestures, muscle coordination) as key tools of interpretation. It is demonstrated that the concept of somatic intelligence allows for a new understanding of performance, integrating bodily sensitivity, emotional experience, and interpretative thought into a unified artistic system.