Having enjoyed general recognition as a composer during his lifetime, the American Frederick Jacobi has suffered some neglect since his death. His compositions draw on Jewish and American Indian sources in a career that allowed him to provide considerable encouragement to younger American composers.

Orchestral, Choral and Chamber Music

Jacobi wrote his full Sabbath Evening Service in 1930 for the New York Temple Emanu-El. He followed this with a Cello Concerto that draws inspiration from the same source, each movement derived from a psalm. He wrote a second Arvit l’shabbat (‘Friday Evening Service’) in 1952. Hagiographa, described as ‘Three Biblical Narratives for String Quartet and Piano’, was written in 1938 and offers musical pictures of Job, Ruth and Joshua.