As a young man in the 1970s Wilfried Ulrich was drawn by to TV show featuring John Pearse  who would interview musicians (such as the famous Steel Eye Span) in series of TV programs focusing on step by step building one’s own mountain dulcimer.  The ‘Folk’ revival was in full swing and Wilfreid was inspired to build his first dulcimer in 1976.   

As an Arts and Shop Teacher by trade, Wilfried quickly recognized the knowledge gaps in the history of many stringed instruments especially in the true use and construction of these musical devices.  Within several decades Mr. Ulrich proved himself to become recognized as a “go to” authority when period instruments were discovered.   In 1995 he was entrusted with the only known East Frisian Hummel (the great grandfather of the Mountain Dulcimer) and this event became the catalyst of a quest to research the hummel in ways never attempted by anyone previously or since.

Credibility mounted over decades of research in many countries and included Wilfried Ulrich obtaining the high honor of Master-Luthier in Markneukirchen, Germany, in 2005.  In 2009 the Cloppenburg Museum Village located in the Lower Saxony (the oldest museum village in Germany) with the help of Mr. Ulrich exhibited likely the largest collection of historic Hummels ever presented to the public at one time.  This collection was assembled from private owners, other museums and some of Wilfried’s own discoveries.  The success of this exhibit and the Interest from the public led to the creation of the book “Die Hummel”  translated now into English as “The Story of the Hummel” by Wilfried Ulrich.