<P> Anton Karas (7 July 1906--10 January 1985) was a Viennese zither player and composer, best known for his internationally famous 1948 soundtrack to Carol Reed's The Third Man, which came about as a result of a chance meeting . </P> <P> Born in Vienna, one of five children of a factory worker, Anton Karas was already keen on music as a child . He wanted to become a band leader, which because of the family's financial situation was impossible . However, he was allowed to learn to play an instrument, as were his two brothers and two sisters . He later reported that his first zither was one he found in his grandmother's attic, at the age of 12 . </P>

Who played the zither in the third man