Keiko Abe

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Keiko Abe

Keiko Abe ( Japanese 安 部 圭子 , Abe Keiko ; born April 18, 1937 ) is a Japanese composer and marimba player .

Life

Abe came from a family of doctors and business people. As a child she learned to play the piano and, from the age of 12, to play the marimba and to compose. She appeared regularly as a virtuoso on the Japanese radio station NHK after winning an NHK talent competition at the age of 13. With two fellow students she played in the Xebec Marimba Trio, which they founded in 1962, commercial light classical, pop and folk music. She later switched to contemporary classical music. With her compositions for marimba she managed to establish the instrument as a serious solo instrument.

In the following years she was employed as a concert virtuoso for percussion and released 13 albums, which often contained self-composed works on the marimba ; she also had her own Japanese television show.

She also contributed to the development of the marimba as an instrument, not only through her many contributions, but also through her role as a design consultant to marimba makers. With the increased length and response of the improved marimba, Abe began composing, initially Japanese nursery rhymes and Wind in the Bamboo in the early 1980s. As a marimba virtuoso , Abe performed her own compositions and those of many other composers around the world. She teaches the marimba at the Tōhō University of Music in Tokyo.

Works

Works for wind orchestra

  • Prism Rhapsody for Marimbaphon and Wind Ensemble (1995)
  • Prism Rhapsody (Piano Reduction) - for marimbaphone solo and orchestra or wind orchestra (Marimba Concerto)
  • Prism Rhapsody II for marimbaphone and wind orchestra (2003)

Works for percussion instruments

  • Airscope II Marimba Spiritual
  • Alone for marimbaphone solo ( dedicated to Bogdan Bacanu ) (2003)
  • Ancient vase for marimbaphone solo (1986)
  • Autumn In Nara for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Ban-ka for marimba solo (1993)
  • Ban-ka for four instrumentalists (1994)
  • Ban-ka for marimba solo and percussion group (1994)
  • Conversation in the Forest I for marimbaphone and three percussionists (1988)
  • Conversation in the Forest II for marimbaphone, oboe and two percussionists (1993)
  • Conversation in the Forest III for two marimbaphones and three percussionists (2000)
  • Conversation in the Forest IV for marimbaphone ensemble and two percussionists (2007)
  • Conversation in the Forest for two marimbaphones (1997)
  • Conversation in the Forest for marimbaphone ensemble (1998)
  • Conversation in the Forest for marimbaphone ensemble, three percussionists and Gamelan Jegog (1998)
  • Dream for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Dream of the Cherry Blossoms for Marimba (1984)
  • Early Spring for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Frog for marimbaphone solo (1958)
  • From the far side of Earth for marimbaphone and tape (1990)
  • Galilee Impressions for Six Mallets (2004)
  • “Itsuki” Fantasy for marimbaphone and 5 other mallet percussion instruments (1993)
  • Kazak Lullaby for marimbaphone solo (and piano ad.lib.) (2002)
  • Labyrinth for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Little Windows for marimbaphone solo (1986)
  • Marimba Concertino “The Wave” (2000)
  • Marimba D'Amore for marimbaphone solo (1998)
  • Marimba Pieces I for marimba solo (1972)
  • Memories of the Seashore (1986)
  • Mi-chi (original version) (1978)
  • Mi-chi for marimbaphone solo (1981)
  • Mi-chi II (1998)
  • Mi-chi III for marimbaphone solo and voice (2005)
  • Mi-chi Paraphrase for marimbaphone solo (2009)
  • Prism for marimbaphone solo (1986)
  • Prism for two marimbaphones (1992)
  • Prism Variations for marimbaphone ensemble and percussionist (2005)
  • Sunday Afternoon for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Sylvan Stanzas (Mountain Stanzas) (1990)
  • Sylvan Stroll for two marimbaphones (1990)
  • Piacer d'amor for marimbaphone (2002)
  • Tambourine Paraphrase for Marimbaphone Solo (1993)
  • Tambourine Paraphrase for Two Marimbaphones (1994)
  • Tambourine Paraphrase for Marimbaphone Ensemble (1997)
  • Tambourine Paraphrase III for two marimbaphones and percussion (2003)
  • Three monologues for marimbaphone solo
  • Variations on Japanese Children's Songs (1982)
  • Wind across Mountains (1992)
  • Wind across Mountains for marimbaphone solo (1992)
  • Wind across Mountains for two marimbaphones (1997)
  • Wind across Mountains for marimbaphone ensemble (2003)
  • Wind in the Bamboo Grove for marimbaphone and percussion (and piano ad.lib.) (1984)
  • Wind Sketch for marimbaphone solo (1993)
  • Wind Sketch II for marimba and percussionist (1997)
  • Wind Sketch III for two marimbaphones (1999)
  • Wind Sketch IV for two marimbaphones and two percussionists (2001)

CD recordings with works by Keiko Abe

  • Marimba d'Amore soloist: Bogdan Bacanu
  • Marimba Encores
  • Fantastic marimba
  • Keiko Abe - reveals the essence of the marimba
  • Fascinatin 'Latin Marimba
  • Marimba Selections II
  • Marimba Selections III
  • Marimba Spiritual
  • Marimba fantasy
  • Mergin Classical and Jazz Forms
  • Conversation
  • Lullaby Of Itsuki

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Irem Çatı: Summer Series: Strong Women - Keiko Abe. In: concerti.de. concerti Media GmbH, July 31, 2018, accessed on February 27, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Keiko Abe: Works. In: http://www.keiko-abe.com/englishindex.html . Keiko Abe, June 25, 2018, accessed June 25, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Abe, Keiko
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 安 部 圭子 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese composer, marimba player
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Japan