The Music of Erich Zann
Encyclopedia
"The Music of Erich Zann" is a short story
by American author H. P. Lovecraft
. Written in December 1921
, it was first published in National Amateur, March 1922
.
man named Erich Zann. The old man is mute and plays the viol
with a local orchestra. He lives on the top floor and when alone at night, plays strange melodies never heard before. Over time, the student gains Zann's trust, and eventually learns of his secret, that the old man has discovered melodies and rhythms of sound of an almost otherworldly nature. Zann plays these sounds to keep back unknown and unseen creatures from Zann's window, which is said to look out into a black abyss, most likely another dimension.
, though the city is never named. Auseil is not a true French
word, but it has been suggested that Lovecraft derived it from the phrase au seuil, meaning at the threshold. Auseil is read like oseille, meaning sorrel or, colloquially, money.
notes that it "might, however, be said that HPL erred on the side of underexplicitness in the very nebulous horror to be seen through Zann's garret window."
The story was frequently anthologized even during Lovecraft's lifetime, including in Dashiell Hammett
's 1931 collection Creeps by Night.
Univers Zéro
's album Ceux du dehors
(1981) includes a track titled "La musique d'Erich Zann". According to drummer and bandleader Daniel Denis, all members read the short story in the studio and promptly improvised the piece. http://www.cloudsandclocks.net/interviews/DDenis_interview00.html
German Metal band Mekong Delta
has an album titled The Music Of Erich Zann.
German Ambient band Forma Tadre
has an album titled The Music Of Erich Zann.
Eric Zann
is a pseudonym of Jim Jupp, who has released an album on the Ghost Box Music
record label.
Finnish Goth Rock band HIM has a remix of their Soul on Fire song titled Soul On Fire (Erich Zann's Supernatural Remix).
Hungarian Metal band Without Face
has a song called The Violin of Erich Zann.
British Anarcho-punk band Rudimentary Peni
featured a depiction of Eric Zann on the original cover of their album Cacophony.
Spanish drone/ambient band Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere has a song called Erich Zann's Score For Piano.
French composer Claude Ballif
wrote the stage music of the same name.
In Charles Stross
's novel The Jennifer Morgue
, one of the characters has a violin made by an "Erich Zahn" which, when played, eats the soul of the intended victim.
German hardcore band Zann uses the name of the main character of Lovecraft's story.
Liverpudlian composer Anubiss wrote a song inspired by the story. Although based on a more modern style, he believes it still encapsulates the madness that lies within the story.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by American author H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. Written in December 1921
1921 in literature
The year 1921 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan the Terrible*James Branch Cabell – Figures of Earth*Hall Caine – The Master of Man*Willa Cather – Alexander's Bridge...
, it was first published in National Amateur, March 1922
1922 in literature
The year 1922 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Under the current U.S. copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1923 with a proper copyright notice entered the public domain no later than 75 years from the date of the copyright...
.
Synopsis
A university student is forced, by his lack of funds, to take the only lodging he can afford. In a strange part of the city he had never seen before, on a street named "Rue d'Auseil", he finds an apartment in an almost empty building. One of the few other tenants is an old GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
man named Erich Zann. The old man is mute and plays the viol
Viol
The viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
with a local orchestra. He lives on the top floor and when alone at night, plays strange melodies never heard before. Over time, the student gains Zann's trust, and eventually learns of his secret, that the old man has discovered melodies and rhythms of sound of an almost otherworldly nature. Zann plays these sounds to keep back unknown and unseen creatures from Zann's window, which is said to look out into a black abyss, most likely another dimension.
Setting
The setting of the story is presumably ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, though the city is never named. Auseil is not a true French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word, but it has been suggested that Lovecraft derived it from the phrase au seuil, meaning at the threshold. Auseil is read like oseille, meaning sorrel or, colloquially, money.
Reaction
Lovecraft considered "The Music of Erich Zann" one of his best stories, in part because it avoided the overexplicitness that he saw as a major flaw in some of his other work. An H. P. Lovecraft EncyclopediaAn H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia
An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia is a reference work written by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz. It covers the life and work of American horror fiction writer H. P...
notes that it "might, however, be said that HPL erred on the side of underexplicitness in the very nebulous horror to be seen through Zann's garret window."
The story was frequently anthologized even during Lovecraft's lifetime, including in Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
's 1931 collection Creeps by Night.
Connections
James Wade wrote a sequel to the story, "The Silence of Erika Zann", first published in The Disciples of Cthulhu (1976).Univers Zéro
Univers Zéro
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....
's album Ceux du dehors
Ceux du dehors
Ceux du dehors is the third album by the Belgian RIO band Univers Zero. The title translates as "Those from the Outside."The original LP consisted of six tracks...
(1981) includes a track titled "La musique d'Erich Zann". According to drummer and bandleader Daniel Denis, all members read the short story in the studio and promptly improvised the piece. http://www.cloudsandclocks.net/interviews/DDenis_interview00.html
German Metal band Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta (band)
Mekong Delta is a German progressive/thrash metal band, formed in 1985.-History:The band was founded by a group of German metal musicians with the goal to 'musically outshine' all then-current, independent releases. The line-up and the history of the group was to be "the best kept secret in the...
has an album titled The Music Of Erich Zann.
German Ambient band Forma Tadre
Forma Tadre
Forma Tadre is a German musical project that can best be described as electro with a feel of soundtracks and ambient but has also been categorized as industrial or electronic body music...
has an album titled The Music Of Erich Zann.
Eric Zann
Eric Zann
Eric Zann is an alias of electronic musician Jim Jupp . Jupp's releases are on the Ghost Box Music label, ofwhich he is a co-founder. The name references a minor H. P...
is a pseudonym of Jim Jupp, who has released an album on the Ghost Box Music
Ghost Box Music
Ghost Box Music is an English independent record label, established in 2004 by Julian House and Jim Jupp.-Concept:The concept for the label was hatched by House and Jupp Ghost Box Music is an English independent record label, established in 2004 by Julian House and Jim Jupp.-Concept:The concept for...
record label.
Finnish Goth Rock band HIM has a remix of their Soul on Fire song titled Soul On Fire (Erich Zann's Supernatural Remix).
Hungarian Metal band Without Face
Without Face
Without Face were one of the most famous internationally known Hungarian progressive metal band. They were formed in the city of Veszprém, Hungary in 1997. The band featured a dual female and male vocal line-up similar to that of gothic metal, with progressive metal and thrash metal overtones and...
has a song called The Violin of Erich Zann.
British Anarcho-punk band Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni are a British anarcho-punk/deathrock band formed in 1980.-Line-up:*Nick Blinko - guitar, vocals, artwork, lyrics*Grant Matthews - bass guitar, lyrics*Jon Greville - drums-History:...
featured a depiction of Eric Zann on the original cover of their album Cacophony.
Spanish drone/ambient band Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere has a song called Erich Zann's Score For Piano.
French composer Claude Ballif
Claude Ballif
Claude Ballif was a French composer.His music is known as a combination of tonality and serialism - a system that he named metatonality....
wrote the stage music of the same name.
In Charles Stross
Charles Stross
Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
's novel The Jennifer Morgue
The Jennifer Morgue
The Jennifer Morgue is the second collection of stories by Charles Stross featuring Bob Howard, containing the title novel The Jennifer Morgue, the short story "Pimpf", and an essay titled "The Golden Age of Spying"...
, one of the characters has a violin made by an "Erich Zahn" which, when played, eats the soul of the intended victim.
German hardcore band Zann uses the name of the main character of Lovecraft's story.
Liverpudlian composer Anubiss wrote a song inspired by the story. Although based on a more modern style, he believes it still encapsulates the madness that lies within the story.
External links
- "H. P. Lovecraft's 'The Music of Erich Zann'", The H. P. Lovecraft Archive; publication history and full story text