Episode 33: 'The Music of Erich Zann' by H.P. Lovecraft

Here is a favourite H.P. Lovecraft story of mine, one I feel happy to count among my favourites since the great Robert Aickman told the great Ramsey Campbell it was the only Lovecraft story he liked, and Lovecraft himself considered it one of his most successful stories - free from the "over-explicitness" he felt to be a flaw in some of his other works.

The story is The Music of Erich Zann.  Re-reading it for the show, what impresses me is the sense of mystery that Lovecraft creates (the abiding strangeness Aickman undoubtedly gravitated towards): the gloom-shrouded, decrepit Rue D'Auseil (whose actually meaningless name might yet be pidgin-French for "money" or, better still, "at the threshold"), a vanishing enclave of a nameless French city, populated by the old and debilitated and, not least, by the "paralytic" Blandot, the nameless, melancholic, sick narrator, and the hunched, "dumb" viol player Erich Zann.

As this economical story unfolds we anticipate some cliché revelation that the genius musician has received his gift in a pact with the Devil.  But the suggestion is more that he has come to see and know things that humans should not see and know - and the purpose of his night music is to ward off these dwellers at the threshold. 

Perhaps.

This is one of those stories that is all the more haunting for its lack of resolution.

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Production note: regular listeners will know I use music to enhance the readings of the stories on EnCrypted: The Classic Horror Podcast.  In this story, where music is a part of the story, I quickly realised that it would be fruitless to try and source copyright/royalty-free music ethereal and unearthly enough to stand in for Erich Zann.  The music chosen for this recording is intended to be sympathetic to the atmosphere and tone of the story.

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About the episode:

 

"The Music of Erich Zann" written by H.P. Lovecraft. First published in National Amateur, March 1922.

Credit where credit's due:

 

End theme music:  The Black Waltz by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

 

Incidental music:  

 

Music used: "Soul's Departing" by Darren Curtis. Copyright free music used under the following licence: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468

 

Music used: "The Fall" by Scott Buckley. Copyright free music used under the following licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music used : " The Pain " composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek" Music link :https://youtu.be/qR9MLS5yhWU SUBSCRIBE us on YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/3qumnPH Follow on Facebook : https://bit.ly/33RWRtP Follow on Instagram : https://bit.ly/2ImU2JV

 

I am so indebted to the wonderful creative work of these musicians who make their work freely available to podcast and video makers. Please check out their channels to hear more of their music.

 

Sound effects:

All other sound effects sourced at Freesound.org

The recording was created using Audacity and BandLab. Podcast hosted by Anchor.