Background
Jacobson was born in London, England, on 1 January 1896, into a Jewish family.
Jacobson was born in London, England, on 1 January 1896, into a Jewish family.
He studied piano at the Modern School of Music, then composition at the Royal College of Music under respected composers Charles Villiers Stanford and Gustav Holst until 1923 at which point he produced his first piece.
He was director and later chairman of the music publishing firm J. Curwen & Sons. He appeared as a "castaway" on the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 20 January 1969, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1971 He died in Brighton, England, on 2 February 1976, and was buried at Golders Green Jewish Cemetery.