Hermann Ritter (16 September 1849 in Wismar – 25 January 1926 in Würzburg) was a German viola player, composer and music historian.Hermann Ritter studied violin at the Neue Akademie für Musik in Berlin from 1865 to 1870. His outstanding talent was soon recognized and was appointed music director of the municipal orchestra in Heidelberg, where he also continued his education at the University of Heidelberg. During this time, his performance interest shifted from the violin to the viola, intent on improving the status of the violist by raising the standard of performance and developing an instrument with a tone equal to that of the violin and cello.Besides musical compositions and transcriptions, Ritter is credited with writing many books and essays including several volumes on the music history of Europe.