Liselotte Selbiger

Elisabeth Charlotte Ida (Liselotte) Selbiger (1906–2008) was a German-born Danish musician who initially performed in chamber music and played the cello in a Berlin orchestra. Instructed by the Polish celebrity Wanda Landowska, she later specialized in the harpsichord, especially the music of J. S. Bach. As she was of Jewish ancestry, she had to leave Germany during the Nazi era, first moving to Denmark and later to Sweden. After the war she returned to Denmark where she was responsible for reviving interest in the harpsichord.

Early life and family Born on 23 August 1906 in Berlin, Elisabeth Charlotte Ida Selbiger was the daughter of the notary Leo Selbiger (1875–1942) and his wife the artist Helene née Cohn (1883–1942). She was the family's only child. From an early age, she learnt to play the piano and the cello. She graduated as a music teacher from the Hochschule für Musik in 1933 after becoming a private student of Leonid Kreutzer. She then studied the harpsichord under Carl Bittner.