# Erich Zann — Short Fiction character guide

> Erich Zann in Short Fiction by H. P. Lovecraft.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Zann

**First appearance:** 0011-the-music-of-erich-zann

## Snapshot

A mute, satyr-faced violinist in a bare Parisian garret, playing fugues no one taught him for reasons he refuses to explain.

## Who they are

Zann is the tenant above the narrator in the Rue d'Auseil, a shabby old musician who chose his lofty room for its single gable window and his nightly playing after the theatre. When the narrator befriends him, Zann's gratitude wars with a terror that surfaces the moment his stranger, more haunting strains are whistled back at him. His locked door, his bare attic, and his refusal to perform certain airs make him the story's still center of dread.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_26_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_social_

Erich Zann is a reclusive musician whom the narrator encounters, leading to a brief but eerie acquaintance centered on Zann's otherworldly music.

## In the story

### [The Music of Erich Zann](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_26_se/chapters/the-music-of-erich-zann)

A mute, elderly German viol-player who lives in the garret and produces terrifying, unearthly music.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_26_se/characters/erich_zann
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_26_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_26_se/characters