Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (1895-1984) was a 20th century British composer. Along with Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams, he is known as an early champion of the wind band and a skilled composer in the medium. His other wind works include a Symphony (AD 78), the William Byrd Suite, and a chamber suite called Old Wine in New Bottles, as well as several arrangements of other composers’ work.
His 1928 An Original Suite is considered standard wind repertoire. Its very title shows its significance: when it was first published (by Boosey), the publisher added “Original” to the title, presumably to distinguish it from the many popular music and orchestral arrangements that dominated the wind band repertoire at the time. The suite does indeed use original material throughout, making it a close cousin to Holst’s First Suite in E-flat, though one that arrived nearly 20 years later. Here it is in a live performance led by Douglas Bostock:
GordonJacob.org – a website run by the Jacob family promoting Gordon’s life and music.
Original Suite page at gordonjacob.org – includes links to information about CD recordings, a brief discussion of the piece, and a CD review.