Johann Christian Schickhardt (1682 – 1762) was a
German composer and woodwind player born in
Braunschweig (Brunswick) and received his musical
education at the Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel court under
the patronage of Augustus William, third son and heir
of Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In
the first decade of the 18th century, he was employed
in the Netherlands and associated with Friedrich of
Hesse-Cassel, Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau
(daughter of John George II, Princ...(+)
Johann Christian Schickhardt (1682 – 1762) was a
German composer and woodwind player born in
Braunschweig (Brunswick) and received his musical
education at the Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel court under
the patronage of Augustus William, third son and heir
of Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In
the first decade of the 18th century, he was employed
in the Netherlands and associated with Friedrich of
Hesse-Cassel, Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau
(daughter of John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
and widow of Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz)
and her son John William Friso, Prince of Orange. In
the second decade of the 18th century, Schickhardt
lived in Hamburg, where it is speculated by
musicologist Andrew D. McCredie that he was a member of
the Hamburg Opera in Gänsemarkt as a flutist or
oboist. There is evidence suggesting that, in the
1720s, Schickhardt could have been an occasional oboist
with the court orchestra of Leopold, Prince of
Anhalt-Köthen, employer of Johann Sebastian Bach. By
the 1740s, records place Schickhardt at the University
of Leiden as a student, and at his death in 1762, the
university described him as "a master of musical arts
and a member of the Academy," although there is no
surviving record of his musical activity in Leiden
otherwise.
In the first half of the 18th century, numerous works
of his, mostly chamber music featuring the treble
recorder, appeared in print from publishers Estienne
Roger and Le Cène in Amsterdam. At least 30 sets of
musical works are known to have been published, some of
which are no longer extant. A catalog of Schickhardt's
published and manuscript works can be found in David
Lasocki's article. With the revival of the treble
recorder in the early 20th century, a great interest in
suitable repertoire for the instrument developed and
some of Schickhardt's works were republished in new
editions. It is predominantly through his works for
recorder that Schickhardt is known today.
Schickhardt's compositions include sonatas for solo
recorder and basso continuo (op. 1 and op. 17) as well
as trio sonatas for two recorders and basso continuo
(op. 16). Besides these, there are also compositions
that stand between the chamber and larger scale concert
music styles, e.g., his op. 9 for four recorders and
basso continuo and his six sonatas for recorder, two
oboes, and basso continuo. Some short works by
Schickhardt can also be found in the The Compleat Tutor
to the Hautboy, an oboe tutor published by Walsh and
Hare about 1715. Additionally, Schickhardt wrote a
recorder concerto in G minor and L'Alphabet de la
musique (op. 30, c. 1735), which contains sonatas in
all 24 keys.
Although originally written for 4 Recorders & Continuo,
I transcribed this piece for Flutes (4) and
Harpsichord.
