I feel I agree with Leonardo Meyer's arousal theory most. Going back to chapter three with the writings of Descartes I absolutely agree with his passage.
"This which moves some to dance, causes others to wish to cry. The reason for this is that certain images in our memories are aroused: those who once found pleasure in dancing to a particular melody will want to do so again, when they hear it anew. And conversely, if someone has suffered while listening to the sounds of galliarde, he will certainly be sad when he hears it again." (67)
I absolutely agree with Descrates passage and the first image that came to my mind was from the movie A Clockwork Orange. When the main character of the movie is taken to a medical treatment facility to become "ultra-violent" by being shown violent images to make him repulsed at the idea. They also played his favorite tune, Beethoven's 9th symphony. After the treatment whenever he heard this symphony he basically shut down and was unable to do anything.
Back to Meyer's arousal theory, Higgins' says that Meyer doesn't say what emotions music should or shouldn't evoke. "Myer is not concerned to the label the emotions that music arouses. We differentiate our affective experiences, he tells us, by reference to the stimulus situation, that is, to objects and our assessment of their relation to us. We describe a certain affective state as 'fear' because it is aroused in the course of a situation in which an external object is seen as threatening to us." (89)
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As Higgins says in her own views that all three are part of the concept. (105) The previous quote from Higgins about Meyer made me feel that while all three apply, arousal is more prominent in music and emotion.
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