Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie

Thomas Alexander Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie ( born September 1, 1732 at Kellie Castle Arncroach; † October 9, 1781 in Brussels ) was a Scottish violinist and composer of the pre-classical period.

Life

Thomas Erskine, to whom they gave the nickname of musical Earl, was the eldest son of Alexander Erskine, 5th Earl of Kellie, whom he succeeded in 1756 as Earl of Kellie.

The violin he learned as a child. In his high school days in Edinburgh he had lessons with William McGibbon (1690-1756) and Francesco Barsanti, who lived at that time in Scotland. From 1752 he lived four years in Mannheim, where he made further studies in music of the Mannheim school environment to Johann Stamitz. Perhaps he then lived another year in Paris. In the early -1760s Erskine lived in London, where he contributed to the spread of the Mannheim orchestra style, before he settled in 1767 in Edinburgh. The last printed works published in 1769, but resulting later works were widely used as manuscripts.

Erskine was a talented violinist and composer, to this, Charles Burney expressed; Erskine has a sound knowledge of music and composing goes to him quickly out of hand. Erskine was over many years conductor of the St. Cecilia Society in Edinburgh.

In the summer of 1781 traveled Erskine, weakened health should be an unsuccessful Trinkwasserkur to Spa, but died on his way home in Brussels.

Works (selection)

A part of his work was not printed and is considered lost, as several of his symphonies. Until the 1970s, also a part of his chamber music was unknown before 1989 several trio sonatas and string quartets were discovered on Kilravock Castle.

  • Six Overtures Op 1 (Edinburgh, 1761)
  • Collection with Six Simphonies in Four Parts by J. Stamitz, and his pupil the Earl of Kelly ( London, about 1765 )
  • 6 Sonatas, violin or flute, violin and B.C. (London, 1769)
  • 9 Sonatas, 2 violins and B.C.
  • 20 minuets in different collections, so in Bremner's Collection of ... Minuets (London, 1765 ), The Favourite Minuets perform'd at the Fête Champêtre (London, 1775 ), Minuets Composed by Kelly (Edinburgh, 1836)

Sources and Links

  • The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1980; ISBN 1-56159-174-2
  • Significant Scots - Thomas Alexander Erskine
  • Notes and audio files of Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie in the International Music Score Library Project
  • Earl of Kellie
  • Composer ( classical)
  • Composer
  • Classical violinist
  • Freemason (18th century)
  • Scotsman
  • Born in 1732
  • Died in 1781
  • Man
Spa, Belgium Integrated Authority File
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