Time for Marimba

Minoru Miki

General Info

Year: 1968
Duration: c. 10:20
Difficulty: Advanced
Publisher: Norsk
Cost: Score and Parts - £10.95   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Marimba

Program Notes

Minoru MIKI composed this piece during the summer of 1968 for Ms. Keiko Abe's first marimba recital. Before that year, Miki had listened to many marimba performances, but many of the pieces which he heard were arrangements of famous Western instrumental pieces. He also found that tremolo was used too often. When he agreed to compose this piece, therefore, he was determined to avoid the use of tremolo except in very limited cases. From an early age Miki loved the special feeling of Indonesian Gamelan ensemble music. There are very different mechanisms at work in the Gamelan and marimba. For example, the marimba has fixed well-tempered pitches while Gamelan scales are very special in comparison. Regardless of these differences, he wanted to create a unique, fantastic music using just one marimba. A six tone series consisting of C,B,Eb,G,E,Ab, along with variable quintuplet rhythm constructions are very important for this purpose. However, the general atmosphere through the work should be very free, almost like an improvisation. Many years later, Miki was surprised when he read a doctoral dissertation written by a Japanese marimba player, This dissertation, an analysis of "Time for Marimba", discussed the composer's careful mathematical plan in realizing the form of this work. The composer very moved by this analysis, but in fact, the piece was through-composed during a brief one week period during the hot summer.

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Minoru MIKI composed this piece during the summer of 1968 for Ms. Keiko Abe's first marimba recital. Before that year, Miki had listened to many marimba performances, but many of the pieces which he heard were arrangements of famous Western instrumental pieces. He also found that tremolo was used too often. When he agreed to compose this piece, therefore, he was determined to avoid the use of tremolo except in very limited cases.

From an early age Miki loved the special feeling of Indonesian Gamelan ensemble music. There are very different mechanisms at work in the Gamelan and marimba. For example, the marimba has fixed well-tempered pitches while Gamelan scales are very special in comparison. Regardless of these differences, he wanted to create a unique, fantastic music using just one marimba.

A six tone series consisting of C,B,Eb,G,E,Ab, along with variable quintuplet rhythm constructions are very important for this purpose. However, the general atmosphere through the work should be very free, almost like an improvisation. Many years later, Miki was surprised when he read a doctoral dissertation written by a Japanese marimba player, This dissertation, an analysis of "Time for Marimba", discussed the composer's careful mathematical plan in realizing the form of this work. The composer very moved by this analysis, but in fact, the piece was through-composed during a brief one week period during the hot summer.

During the 1960's, the marimba had a limited range of just four octaves. If the performer wanted to play tones in lower octave, the composer might have consented. But as it was not considered standard marimba technique, the performer should do so extremely carefully and avoid overuse.

In 1969, the year following Ms. Abe's first marimba recital, the Nihon Columbia Record Company recorded the piece performed by Keiko Abe along with Miki's "Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra" which was commissioned by the same company. It received an "Excellent Prize" at the Japan National Art Festival. During the same year, Ongaku No Tomo Sha, Tokyo (NORSK MUSIKFORLAG A/S for Europe and America), published "Time for Marimba" . About CD, see Discography in this URL.

Critics have said that these events were the crucial starting points in modern marimba history.

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

Cassiopeia Marimbana - Marimba Quintet
Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra (Miki) - Marimba, Orchestra
Dotoh - Percussion Duo
East Arc - pipa, violin, cello and marimba/percussions
Kincho Daiko - Marimba, Percussion Quartet
Marim Dan-Dan - Marimba and Matsuri-Daiko
Marimba Spiritual - Marimba, Percussion Trio
Requiem 99 - Marimba and Japanese Instruments
Sohmon III - Voice - soprano, Marimba and Piano
Time for Marimba - Marimba
Yoshitsune Daiko - Vibraphone, Percussion Quartet
"Z Concerto" for Marimba, Percussion and Orchestra - Marimba, Orchestra
Z Conversion - Percussion Octet

Additional Resources

Dissertation on Time for Marimba and Concerto for Marimba by Minoru Miki - Brian Zator https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9716/