Erich Zann

[ilovetofix]

The Music of Erich Zann happens to be the best work of its author, though not many realize this. It epitomizes everything great about Paranoia. Call of Cthulhu? Good but overrated. Re-Animator? A cheesy, half-satirical retelling of Frankenstein.

It's a shame, really. The author himself insisted that it was one of his best works, but even his biggest fans usually look down upon the story. They consider it too vague. The horrors in the story are never fully explained. Perhaps they can't be.

This vagueness is what makes it a masterpiece. The things we are unfamiliar with are oftentimes the most horrifying things we can imagine. The Music of Erich Zann captures this perfectly.

Read it to get a better of understanding.

[ravingmad]

ilovetofix said:

This vagueness is what makes it a masterpiece. The things we are unfamiliar with are oftentimes the most horrifying things we can imagine. The Music of Erich Zann captures this perfectly.

I always thought that Lovecraft's greatest gift was that he understood that it was more frightening not to describe things of horror. Thanks for the recommendation.

[esteed]

Ironically, I was going to start reading it during my lunch break at work tomorrow. I've been meaning to read it for a while, but other stories would jump out at me instead.

[quazz4life]

Time to take a trip to the book store.

[komradeocelot]

That was beautiful. Lovecraft was correct in saying that "The Music of Erich Zann" was one of his best works. I am very glad to have read that story now, and thank you for suggesting it.

[cog05]

The story can be found here

en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Music_of_Erich_Zann

if you can't find your way to a library.

[quazz4life]

cog05 said:

The story can be found here

en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Music_of_Erich_Zann

if you can't find your way to a library.

Thank you very much for this.
Especially since all of the bookstores in town are closed right now.

[ataru]

If I may be so bold as to ask a question, are the videos meant to act as a portal like Eric Zann's music?
If I remember correctly, in the description of the first video, it mentioned that frequencies played in it made people sick, and caused them to hallucinate. This would normally be impossible as the frequencies claimed can not actually be reproduced on normal speakers.
It seems like an odd mistake to make, unless of course, it was not the frequencies that caused the ill effects. Hell, maybe they weren't even hallucinating...

[cyberus]

Ataru- Back when we first became aware of these boards, Jack Pembry still frequented them. He posted a warning to those of us wishing to involve ourselves with what was going on. He warned that the persons/things behind it are quite intelligent, and intentionally lead us with false truths. He also stated the makers of the video knew that infrasound would not transmit through television speakers, but claimed it's use anyway. I'd say you're not far off from the truth.

[cog05]

I'm not sure if it's been confirmed that the videos were ever really broadcast. It may have just been someone making up a fanciful backstory for it.

Now I may be wrong about this, and if so, I apologize.

[sartor]

The viola da gamba, or viol, predecessor to our modern cello, was an instrument perfected in the Renaissance and popular in Europe into the eighteenth century. It's strings were softer than those of modern instruments, and bowing technique was more delicate, yielding a heady, reedy tone. Due to such attributes the instrument was said to resemble the human voice.

The French baroque musician Antoine Forqueray was called the devil of the viol. He was a virtuoso and a renowned composer for the instrument; his pieces employed violent, sawing sweeps of the bow and his melodies often jumped from the upper register to deep into the bass. A general proto-romantic, hedonistic fervor can be found in his music. Lovecraft's description of Erich Zann's viol playing reminds me very much of this composer.

On to my point. Music holds a unique power over us; it charms us, it entices and enchants us. Since Greek antiquity it was believed that music influences man's character. Harmonious music soothes, discordant music rends. However, without discord, music is dull and uninspired. Am I correct in assuming that the muse of discord is the inspiration of Erich Zann, and the fervent, dangerously expressive condition he represents?

[Faustus]

That's a nice story, but I prefer the Dunwich Horror, myself.

[desertilluminati]

"The Music of Erich Zann" _is_ a great read. but then, i have always enjoyed works that leave a bit to the imagination.
be it books or movies, in fact. a.h. was a master at the "cut away", letting us experience the horror based on the reactions of his characters to it, as opposed to flushing our heads with gristly images.
far more effective, in my opinion.

[winterfellbastard]

big fan of that story, and Lovecraft in general. I always liked Pickman's Model better though, for the whole "not describing the horror" horror story.