Born in Herrenhof, Sachsen-Gotha, he was active as a wood turner and woodwind instrument maker in Berlin from 1700. From 1710 he was referred to in documents as ‘Royal Court and ornamental turner, also musical instrument maker’. Most of his instruments are covered with tortoiseshell and furnished richly with ivory rings. Kirnberger and Krickeberg presume that Heytz followed his apprenticeship France.
Through Pierre Naust the court in München acquired two of his recorders.
A relationship with French wood-wind-making seems obviously: Tortoiseshell work is a speciality of the south of France (Marseille).
Schmidt supposed that the instruments, marked with the ‘Fleurs-de-lis’, were produced for the French market. He is almost certainly right, which means that Heytz made recorders for the French Court.
Because of the close relations with the court in Berlin, we believe, that the court at Köthen obtained two of his recorders around 1720. This is the time when J.S. Bach was active there. The Brandenburg Concertos’ were written and Bach acquired a harpsichord from Mietke (Berlin) for the court in Köthen. It is certain, that the Brandenburg Concertos, except for the first one, were drafted for the chapel at Köthen and were performed in low pitch at a=400!

Lit.: Martin Kirnbauer und Dieter Krickeberg, „Musikinstrumente im Umkreis von Sophie Charlotte“ in „Sophie Charlotte und die Musik in Lietzenburg“, Berlin, 1987
Guido Klemisch, „Blockflöte“ in “Bachs Orkestermusik“ von Rampe/Sackmann, Kassel 2000, ISBN 3-6718-1345-7
Guido Klemisch, „Zur Bauweise der Blockflöte um 1700 und Möglichkeiten des Nachbaus,“ in SAIM, Beiheft 12, Michaelstein/Blankenburg, 1992, S. 47
* Manfred Hermann Schmidt, Die Blockflöten des Musikinstrumentenmuseums in München“ in „ Bericht über das VI. Symposium zu Fragen des Musikinstrumentenbaus“ Michaelstein/Blankenburg1986
William Waterhouse, „The New Langwill Index“ London, 1993, ISBN 0-946113-04-1
Pillip T. Young , 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments, London 1993