Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie

Thomas Alexander Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie (1 September 1732 – 9 October 1781), styled Viscount Fentoun and Lord Pittenweem until 1756, was a Scottish musician and composer whose considerable talent brought him international fame and his rakish habits notoriety, but nowadays is little known.

Recent recordings of his surviving compositions have led to him being re-evaluated as one of the most important British composers of the 18th century, as well as a leading exponent of Scotland's music.

Born in Edinburgh,[1] Thomas attended the Royal High School before leaving around 1752 for Mannheim in Germany to study under the elder Johann Stamitz.

After his father's death in 1756, Alexander returned to Scotland as a virtuoso violinist and composer, nicknamed "Fiddler Tam".

In addition to his musical and social pursuits, Thomas Erskine was actively involved in the intellectual circles of his time.

His influence extended beyond music, contributing to the broader cultural and intellectual landscape of the Scottish Enlightenment.

A harp was then, or I mistake it, Much better than the best cork-jacket; … 'Twas thus the tuneful Peer of Kelly Escap'd some whale's enormous belly; And safe in London, thinks no longer He'll prove a feast for shark or conger.

"[3] His dissolute lifestyle extended to founding an (all-male) drinking club, and reportedly the playwright Samuel Foote advised Kellie to put his red nose into his greenhouse to ripen his cucumbers!

His health suffered and he visited Spa, Belgium, but while returning was "struck with a paralytic shock" and while stopping for a few days at Brussels was attacked by a "putrid fever" and died.

Erskine composed the Overture to Isaac Bickerstaff's comic opera, The Maid of the Mill, which was performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden early in 1765.