Mind's Ear Meaning

Example : 1849, Charlotte Brontë, Shirley, ch. 6:  "I must read Shakespeare?"  "You must have his spirit before you; you must hear his voice with your mind's ear."1916, Booth Tarkington, Penrod and Sam, ch. 21:  The likeness of the great bass horn remained upon the retina of his mind's eye, losing nothing of its brazen enormity with the passing of hours, nor abating, in his mind's ear, one whit of its fascinating blatancy.2002, Terry Teachout, "A Master and Mentor in Song," New York Times, 27 Jan. (retrieved 8 Sep. 2009):  Other people do "Don't Smoke in Bed" and "I've Got Your Number" and "You Came a Long Way From St. Louis," but when I hear them in my mind's ear, hers is the voice I hear.