Variations on Japanese Children Songs

Keiko Abe

General Info

Year: 1982/Published 1987
Duration: c. 5:00
Difficulty: Hard (see Ratings for explanation)
Marimba Required: 5 Octave
Publisher: SchottJapan
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Marimba

Program Notes

premiere: 1982, Austria, Keiko Abe, soloist

Works For Marimba is a collection of solo marimba works by Keiko Abe. This edition has altered parts for 4.3 octave marimbas.

Included:
Memories of the Seashore
Wind in the Bamboo Grove
Little Windows
Ancient Vase
Variations on Japanese Children Songs

Annotations

Written in a similar style to Dream of the Cherry Blossoms, Variations is an exciting piece full of dark, intense colors with an incessant ostinato throughout. Featuring extended techniques such as dead strokes, ‘bouncing’ alternating double laterals, although Abe writes for portions of the music to be played at grave, the music still moves quickly, with the quarter note marked at 126. Cadenza’s included also include differing notation, with interior grace notes being notated without stems, and for one-handed rolls to have lines dictating how long the roll should last. Abe also uses tails of stems connecting notes to dictate the speed of how quickly the notes should be performed, tails spread out means slower, with tails closer together meaning faster. Abe teases at the original theme toward the end before notating an a tempo section with chords moving more open into rolls before finally giving a grand finale of the mixed meter left, right, right theme from before. The composer Keiko Abe can be heard playing this piece on her CD entitled: Marimba Fantasy. This piece is published in a collection titled: Keiko Abe: Works for Marimba, and is published by the yamaha Music Foundation-Schott.

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

Alone - Marimba
Ancient Letter - Marimba
Ancient Vase - Marimba
Aqua-Harmonia based on "Memories of the Seashore" - Marimbas (8) - Abe/Natsume
Autumn in Nara - Marimbas (2) - Abe/Samuels
Ban-ka - Marimba
Ban-ka for 4 players - Marimba Trio; Saxophone
Ban-ka for solo marimba and percussion group - Marimba; Percussion Ensemble
Conversation in the Forest for Ensemble and Gamran Jegog - Marimba Ensemble; Percussion Trio; Gamran Jegog
Conversation in the Forest for Marimba Ensemble - Marimba Ensemble
Conversation in the Forest for Two Marimbas - Marimbas (2)
Conversation in the Forest I - Marimba; Percussion Trio
Conversation in the Forest II - Marimba, Percussion (2); Saxophone; Oboe
Conversation in the Forest III - Marimba; Percussion Quartet
Dream - Marimbas (2) - Abe/Samuels
Dream of the Cherry Blossoms - Marimba
Early Spring - Marimba (2) - Abe/Samuels
Frogs - Marimba
In Praise of Nature - Marimba; with tape
Itsuki Fantasy for Six Mallets - Marimba
Labyrinth - Marimbas (2) - Abe/Samuels
Little Windows - Marimba
Marimba Concertino - The Wave - Marimba; Percussion Quartet
Marimba d'Amore - Marimba
Memories of the Seashore - Marimba
Memories of the Seashore for Marimba Ensemble - Marimba Ensemble
Memories of the Seashore for Two Marimbas - Marimbas (2)
Memories of the Seashore Ⅱ - Marimbas (2)
Michi - Marimba
Michi II - Marimba
Prism for Solo Marimba - Marimba
Prism for Two Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra - Marimba; Orchestra
Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Piano - Marimba; Piano
Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Wind Ensemble - Marimba; Wind Ensemble
Prism Rhapsody II for 2 marimbas and 6 Percussionists - Marimba (2); Percussion Sextet
Prism Rhapsody II for 2 marimbas and orchestra - Marimba (2); Orchestra
Prism Rhapsody II for 2 marimbas and piano - Marimba Concerto - Marimba (2); Piano
Prism Rhapsody II for 2 marimbas and wind ensemble - Marimba (2); Wind Ensemble
Prism Rhapsody, 2nd Edition - Marimba; Orchestra or Wind Ensemble
Prism Variations for Marimba Ensemble and Percussionist - Marimba Ensemble; Percussion Ensemble
Reflections on Japanese Children's Songs II - Marimba (2); Percussion
Reflections on Japanese Children's Songs II for Two Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Reflections on Japanese Children's Songs III - for Marimba Ensemble and 2 Percussionists - Marimba Ensemble, Percussion Duo
Reflections on Japanese Children's Songs III - for Two Marimbas and Percussionist - Marimba (2), Percussion
She Dies, My Water Lily Tonneke - Marimba (2) - Abe/Van Hauwe
Sunday Afternoon - Marimba (2) - Abe/Samuels
Sylvan Stanzas (Mountain Stanzas) - Marimba
Sylvan Stroll - Marimba (2) - Abe/Samuels
Tambourin Paraphrase for Marimba Ensemble - Marimba Ensemble (5)
Tambourin Paraphrase for Solo Marimba - Marimba
Tambourin Paraphrase for Two Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Three Monologues - Marimba
Torrent - Marimba (2) - Abe/van Hauwe
Variations on Japanese Children Songs - Marimba
Voice of Matsuri Drums - Marimba
Wave Impression - Marimba Ensemble; Percussion (2)
Wind Across Mountains for Marimba Ensemble - Marimba Ensemble
Wind Across Mountains for solo marimba - Marimba
Wind Across Mountains for Two Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Wind Across the Mountains for Six Mallets - Marimba
Wind in the Bamboo Grove - Marimba
Wind in the Bamboo Grove for Two Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Wind Sketch - Marimba
Wind Sketch II for 2 Marimbas - Marimba (2)
Wind Sketch II for Marimba and Percussion - Marimba; Percussion Ensemble (26)
Wind Sketch III - Marimba; Percussion Duo
Wind Sketch IV for Marimba and Percussion - Marimba (2); Percussion (2)
Works For Marimba - Marimba