Christian Dickhut
3rd Serenade op. 4 for Flute, Horn and Guitar
Unfortunately, little biographical information can be found about the composer Christian Dickhut. Gustav Schilling's Universal-Lexikon of 1840 mentions Dickhut as a horn player in the Mannheim court orchestra around 1812. We learn a little more from Hermann Mendel's Musikalisches Conversations-Lexikon (1873), where Dickhut is described as a horn and guitar virtuoso.
In the "Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung" (AMZ) of 18 November 1812, under the heading Important Improvement for the Horn, we learn of an invention Dickhut fitted to the horn: an inserted slide that, similar to a small trombone slide, can be moved easily. Operated by the thumb of the left hand by means of a cord and a spring-return mechanism, it lengthens the horn by a semitone. Its function is thus similar to that of today's 2nd valve on the horn. AMZ1812.pdf
Dickhut is mentioned again in the AMZ in May 1815, when he performs a Concertante for 2 horns of his own composition. In August 1815, Duos op. 2 for 2 cellos are reviewed in a short notice in the AMZ. The last entry appears in May 1819, concerning the Serenade op. 3 for flute, horn and guitar.
The 1st Serenade, without opus number, was published around 1812 by Schott in Mainz with plate number 606. It is dedicated to Baron Ernst von Gemmingen-Hornberg.
Dickhut's 1st Serenade already makes use of his new invention. Performing it on the natural horn poses a problem, as it uses notes that are difficult to play cleanly with the natural horn's hand-stopping technique, but which could be intoned accurately with Dickhut's device.
Dickhut's Trio op. 6 was printed around 1815 by the Mannheim publisher Charles F. Heckel with plate number 30. Dickhut's last and most extensive work, his Serenade in B-flat major for clarinet, horn and guitar, was published by the same house with plate number 283.
In the works featuring flute, an alternative viola part exists for the horn.
