form again in 1574, and was printed in 1586. Das Buoch Tobiae ('The Book of Tobias') appeared in 1580 and was first printed in 1586. In 1580 Magdalena Heymair was a governess in the household of Hans Rueber zu Pixendorf (1529–1584) and his wife Judith Rueber (born von Friedensheim, 1542–1588) at Grafenwörth. After Judith Rueber was widowed in 1586, she appointed Hieronymus Deubener (Peristerius), who Magdalena Heymair knew, as her court preacher. In 1586, Grafenwörth was leased. After this time Magdalena Haymair lived at one of the land-holdings of the Rueber family in Kaschau. Works Heymair's major works are Die sontegliche Episteln ('Sunday Epistles', 1568), Das Buechlein Jesu Syrachs ('The Book of Jesus Syrach', 1571), Das Buch der Apostolischen Geschichten ('The Book of Apostolic Stories', 1573); and Das Buoch Tobiae ('The Book of Tobias', 1580). Magdalena Heymair wrote her works in the Middle Bavarian dialect. She was well-educated in both theology and literature. The phrasing and rhymes of her songs are partly influenced by the fact that she adapted the lyrics of her songs to predefined melodies, rather than composing her own settings. She drew upon works of poets and composers such as Ludwig Helmbold, Paul Hofhaimer, Heinrich Isaac, Jakob Regnart, Hans Sachs, Ludwig Senfl, and Johann Walter. She differed from others of her time in using secular as well as religious songs as settings for her religious verses. Magdalena Heymair is the first and only woman whose pedagogical writings, specifically written for elementary teaching, were published before the 18th century. She took material from Biblical history and transformed it into a childlike rhyming form suitable for elementary teaching. She structured her songs into stanzas to make them easier to memorize. In the elementary schools in Protestant territories, pupils generally learned to read using primers, the Bible and the hymnal. It was a normal part of instruction to practice and sing well-known hymns and other songs used in liturgical contexts. Students commonly memorized songs and biblical passages as well as their catechism. Magdalena Heymair developed her own teaching materials, setting biblical passages to music. She wrote five books of biblical songs, and other songs for girls. She mediated the biblical texts, emphasizing women of the Bible and the role of women in the New Testament and the Book of Acts. One of her short pieces, "Das Gaistliche A. B. C." encourages readers in alphabetical stanzas to live a godly life.