His father was Colonel Stephen Jacob, an official of the Indian Civil Service based in Calcutta who died in 1898, and his wife, Clara Laura, née Forlong.
[1][2] Archibald Jacob composed choral music and songs, published by Oxford University Press, including Banks of Roses, Country Girl's Farewell and The Ship of Rio, and some educational piano works such as the Five Finger Sonatina (1937).
[5] Jacob produced the piano duet reduction of Constant Lambert's choral orchestral work Summer's Last Will and Testament (1936).
[6] He also produced the piano reduction of the choral and orchestral setting of Ode to a Grecian Urn (1931) by Philip Napier Miles.
[7] Jacob also provided notes on the music for Songs of Praise Discussed (1933), Percy Dearmer's commentary on the literature of hymns.