Ambrosius Metzger was baptized in Nuremberg on January 31, 1573, and died there in December 1632 (buried on December 16, 1632). His life was marked by serious health problems that thwarted his career plans but at the same time made him one of the most prolific poets of his time.
He grew up in modest but stable circumstances. His father, Ulrich Metzger, was originally from Swabia and earned his living in Nuremberg as a barchent weaver (barchent weavers produced a dense, lightweight fabric with a twill weave using a linen warp and a cotton weft).
Schooling: From the age of 13, Ambrosius attended the renowned Latin school of St. Sebald in Nuremberg.
Early Career: In Steyr, he was initially employed as a regular teacher for one year before being hired for a year and a half as a private tutor for an Austrian noble family. After his father’s death in 1595, he returned to Nuremberg via a roundabout route.
Academic career: In 1600, he enrolled at the University of Altdorf (the Nuremberg State University). He studied theology and successfully completed his studies in 1603 with a master’s degree.
Metzger’s great life goal was to become a pastor. In 1606, he applied unsuccessfully for a position as a chaplain. However, a serious eye condition—extreme, progressive nearsightedness—thwarted his plans. Since he was deemed unfit for pastoral ministry due to his health, he was denied the clergy for the rest of his life: To make ends meet, he had to accept a lower-paying position in 1607 as an “Intimus” (school clerk or collaborator) at the Egidien Gymnasium in Nuremberg.
His visual impairment worsened so drastically over the course of his life that he could no longer write down his songs and compositions himself. In his later years, he was forced to dictate his approximately 3,000 works to a hired scribe. More than 1,300 of these have survived. Among other things, he set biblical texts to music (such as the complete Book of Psalms) and adapted ancient works, such as Ovid’s ''Metamorphoses'', to the ''Meistersinger'' musical system.
Although he composed Meisterlieder and his own melodies with extreme intensity beginning in 1623, he never performed publicly at the Nuremberg singing schools due to his limitations and, presumably, also because of his academic degree (as a Magister). He even wrote his own handwritten autobiography (Curriculum vitae, dated November 8, 1629), which is now preserved in the Nuremberg City Library.