But the friendship ended abruptly when Smith modeled her characters Rosa and Herman on the Jacobsons in her book Novel on Yellow Paper (1936), which they instantly recognised as versions of themselves and thought unkind portrayals.
Jacobson appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 20 January 1969,[7] and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1971.
[11] Among the most important of his extended pieces are the cantatas The Lady of Shalott (1942) and The Hound of Heaven (1953, which the composer regarded as his best work), the Theme and Variations for orchestra (1940s), and the Symphonic Suite for Strings (premiered by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli at the 1951 Cheltenham Festival and repeated at The Proms later that year, conducted by Basil Cameron).
[13] His setting of "Ho-Ro, My Nut-Brown Maiden", a traditional Gaelic song translated into English in 1883 by John Stuart Blackie, featured in the film I Know Where I'm Going!
[14][15][16] The Hound of Heaven was last revived in January 1976 when it was broadcast in tribute to the composer's 80th birthday (just a month before his death), conducted by David Willcocks.