JACOB, GORDON (1895-1984)

Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (born 5 July, 1895 – died 8 June, 1984) was an English composer born in London, the third youngest of ten siblings. He was educated at Dulwich College in South London, England, and enlisted in the Field Artillery at the age of 19 to serve in World War I. He was pushed into the front line and became a prisoner of war in 1917 and was one of only 60 men in the battalion of 800 to survive. He amused himself and fellow POWs by forming a small prison camp "orchestra" of any instruments they could find and making arrangements for them.

 

He taught at the Royal College of Music from 1924 until his retirement in 1966. Jacob became a Fellow of the Royal College in 1946, and throughout his career often wrote pieces for particular students and faculties. He is known for his wind instrument composition and his instructional writings. He was a skillful writer for winds, and a good deal of his present day reputation is because he embraced the wind band, which had begun coming into its own as a concert ensemble. Additionally, he published solo and chamber literature at various levels of difficulty for nearly all the wind instruments, many of which are now standard items in the peda gogical and performing repertoires. Jacob was prolific, publishing over 400 pieces of music in addition to his four books and numerous essays on music.

 

"March" (AP-02257) is the first movement of An Original Suite for Military Band, one of Jacob's early works.