Lobwasser, Ambrosius

Lobwasser, Ambrosius a German Protestant poet, was born at Schneeburg, in Saxoney, April 4, 1515. He studied law, and became chancellor of Misnia, which position he resigned in 1563, to assume the duties of a professorship at the University of Konigsberg. He died November 25, 1585. Lobwasser exerted great influence over the religious concerns of the duchy of Prussia, which, being at first exclusively Lutheran, finally came to be about equally divided among Lutherans and Calvinists. His reputation chiefly rests, however, on his German version of the Psalms (based upon the French translation of Clement Marot and Theodore Beza), publishsed under the title Die Psalmen Davids nach franz. Melodey in deutsche Reymen gebracht (Lpz. 1573, 8vo; Heidelb. 1574; Lpz. 1579; Strasb. 1597, Amsterd. 1704). The translation was so symmetrical that the music made for the French by Claude Gondimel was exactly adapted to the German. At the same time, it must be acknowledged that it is entirely devoid of poetical merit, as might naturally be expected, for a translation from a translation can seldom have any of the original spirit, These Psalms were nevertheless used in the German Reformedi churches until the middle of the 18th century, on account of the people's aversion against singing any but sacred productions. Lobwasser wrote also Summarien aller Kapitel d. heiligen Schrift, in deutschen Reimen (Lpz. 1584, 8vo). See Jocher, Gelehrien Lexikon; Koch, Gesch. d. Kirche; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 10:447; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Genesis 31:428. (J.N.P.)