Hamma Fridolin II, *17 September 1881 Stuttgart, †9 October 1969 Stuttgart, a member of a German musical family and an expert in the history and theory of violin making. His grandfather, Fridolin I (1818–1892), founded a firm in Stuttgart in 1864 specialising in the trade of original old Italian instruments (mainly violins) and in the provision of expert appraisals of violins. The company’s heyday coincided with the years of activity of Fridolin II and his brother Emil (*1883 Stuttgart). After them, management was taken over by Walter (*1916 Stuttgart), the great-grandson of the company’s founder. Fridolin II compiled information on violin makers and violin construction in his books: Meisterwerke italienischer Geigenbaukunst (Stuttgart 1933), Meister deutscher Geigenbaukunst (Stuttgart 1948, 1961, English edition London 1961), Die d’Egvilledel Gesù (Stuttgart 1961); these are valuable luthier catalogues. Walter continued this work by publishing Meister italienischer Geigenbaukunst (Stuttgart 1965).
