Born in London, July 5, 1895
Died in Saffron Walden, June 8, 1984
- Gordon Jacob was an English composer, educator, and writer.
- He studied at the Royal College of Music with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, Herbert Howells, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and many other notable English musicians.
- Not long after finishing his studies, Jacob joined the teaching staff at RCM himself, where he held a position for over 40 years. His pupils included Sir Malcolm Arnold, Imogen Holst, Elizabeth Maconchy, and Ruth Gipps.
- Like many of his English colleagues, Jacob avoided the rise of the Avant-Garde in the mid-20th century. His music was influenced by early 20th-century French and Russian schools of thought.
- In a BBC TV documentary in 1959, Jacob said, “I personally feel that the day that melody is discarded, you may as well pack up music altogether.”
- Fun fact – Jacob provided music for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.1
Sources
- Eric Wetherell, “Jacob, Gordon,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed March 9, 2023, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000014035.