Maxime Jacob, or Dom Clément Jacob, (13 January 1906 in Bordeaux – 26 February 1977 in En-Calcat Abbey, Dourgne, Tarn) was a French composer and organist.

Biography

Jacob studied at the Paris Conservatory with Charles Koechlin and André Gedalge; an admirer of Darius Milhaud and Erik Satie, he was a member of the École d'Arcueil, a group of young composers sponsored by Satie after his rupture with his previous group of protégés, Les Six. Other members of this short-lived group included Henri Cliquet-Pleyel, Henri Sauguet and Roger Désormière.

In 1927, Jacob worked with Antonin Artaud at the Théâtre Alfred Jarry composing the score for his production of Ventre brûlé; ou La Mère folle (1927).:252

In 1929, Jacob converted from Judaism to Catholicism (influenced by Jacques Maritain) and became a Benedictine monk at En-Calcat Abbey. He would go on to study organ with Maurice Duruflé, as well as Gregorian chant.

Jacob also published two books, L'art et la grâce (1939) and Souvenirs a deux voix (1969).

In the English-speaking world, his hymn tune "Living God" in 77.77 meter with 77.77 refrain, used for I Received the Living God (J'ai reçu le Dieu vivant), is well known.

Notes

Works

Vocal

  • Par la Taille (opera, after Alfred Jarry)
  • Le Vitrail de Sainte-Thérèse (oratorio, 1952)
  • Joinville et Saint-Louis (oratorio, after Péguy, 1971)
  • Les psaumes pour tous les temps (1966)
  • ca. 400 stage songs

Orchestral

  • Ouverture (1923)
  • Piano Concerto, 1961

Chamber music

  • 8 string quartets

Miscellaneous

Further reading

  • Marie-Rose Clouzot (1969), Souvenirs en deux voix: De Maxime Jacob à dom Clément Jacob, Toulouse: Privat.
  • Don Randel, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard, 1996, p. 413.