They were called the Minnesinger.
Minnesingers were traditional singers and poets who lived between the 12th-14th Century Germany and performed the Minnesang (love songs).
The Minnesingers could belong to a high noble families but many were wandering artists who would go village to village to sing and earn a living.
Little accurate information is available in modern times though some of the later work from the 15th Century survives to this day.