Johann Ambrosius Bach was a German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 composer, father to Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

.

The son of Christoph Bach

Christoph Bach

Christoph Bach was a German musician of the Baroque period. He was the grandfather of Johann Sebastian Bach....

 (1613–1661), Ambrosius was born in Erfurt

Erfurt

Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as the twin brother of Johann Christoph Bach

Johann Christoph Bach (1645–93)

Johann Christoph Bach was a German musician of the Baroque period.A court and town musician in Arnstadt, he was the third son of Christoph Bach and the twin brother of Johann Ambrosius Bach. He was also the uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach...

 (1645–1693). Ambrosius was employed as a violinist in Erfurt.

In 1671, he moved his family to Eisenach

Eisenach

Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...

, Thuringia

Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

, where he was employed as a court trumpeter and town musician with duties that included performing chorales twice daily from the tower of the town hall, assisting church musicians on feast days, and providing music for civic and municipal functions.

In 1684, he unsuccessfully petitioned to be released from his duties to accept a position in his native town.

He married his first wife Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt on April 1, 1668, and had eight children by her, four of whom became musicians, including Johann Sebastian.

He died in Eisenach in 1695.