He composed in various styles, both 'light' and 'heavy'. The so-called light work includes, besides the musical Eline Vere, many songs for voice, piano and saxophone on texts by Shakespeare, Brecht, Prévert, Villon and others, which he regularly performed with his trio Metamorfose at lunch-time, coffee-time and evening concerts. There were performances in the small hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Doelen in Rotterdam and Muziekcentrum Vredenburg in Utrecht. The so-called heavy works include various piano concertos, saxophone concertos, a Symphony, Concerto Leggiero for piano and wind instruments, Variations for orchestra on a theme by Duke Ellington, Concerto grosso for brass band, and chamber music: Sonata for viola solo, Sonata for alto saxophone solo, two quintets for wind instruments, Sonata for tuba and piano and a Saxophone Quartet.
Erik Lotichius was head teacher at the Sweelinck Conservatoire in Amsterdam, where he taught the subjects counterpoint, harmony, analysis and arranging. He also wrote a novel about his youth, Eindhoven 1944, and for children, Roos and Roos ontdekt de wereld.
After graduating from grammar school B in Eindhoven, he studied piano, composition and music theory at the Amsterdam Conservatory.