Tokyo, April 18, 1937
Keiko Abe is a Japanese composer and marimba player. She has been a prominent figure in the development of the marimba, in terms of expanding both technique and repertoire, and through her collaboration with the Yamaha Corporation, she developed the modern five-octave concert marimba.
Abe began playing the xylophone while in elementary school in Tokyo, Japan, studying with Eiichi Asabuki. At age 13, she won an NHK talent contest and began performing professionally on live radio. She attended Tokyo Gakugei University, earning a bachelor's and master's in music education. She began working at Nippon Columbia, NHK, and other recording studios in college.
In 1962, she and two friends (also Asabuki's students) founded the Xebec Marimba Trio, performing folk music, folk song arrangements, and some of Abe's own arrangements. They recorded over seven albums between 1962 and 1966. During this time, she had her own program on Japanese television, instructing schoolchildren to play the xylophone and a radio program called "Good Morning Marimba." She also began her recording career, releasing 13 albums over a five-year period.
In 1963, Yamaha Corporation sought out Japanese marimba players to help them design their new instruments; Keiko was chosen for her original and clear ideas about the sound and design of the marimba, particularly her concept of how the marimba should be able to blend into ensembles, for example, moving away from the inconsistencies and lack of focus of folk percussion instruments. Her ideas for the desired sound of the instruments guided Yamaha's design, and in the 1970s, production began. Additionally, at her request, the range of the new marimba was extended from four octaves to five, which became the standard for soloists. Abe has since been closely associated with Yamaha, and their first set of keyboard percussion mallets bears her name.
In addition to performing, she is a composer. Her music is published primarily by Xebec Music Publishing, Tokyo, and Schott, Japan. Her compositions, including "Michi," "Variations on Japanese Children's Songs," and "Dream of the Cherry Blossoms," have become standards in the marimba repertoire. Abe actively promotes the development of marimba literature, not only by writing pieces herself but also by commissioning works from other composers and encouraging young composers. One of the most performed marimba percussion quartets, "Marimba Spiritual," by Minoru Miki, is among the many works commissioned and supported by Abe and is dedicated to her. She has added at least 70 compositions to the repertoire. She uses improvisation to develop her musical ideas, which she then uses in her compositions.
In addition to her busy composing, touring, and recording schedule, Abe has been a lecturer and then professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo since 1970. She was the first woman inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1993.
Abe uses the YM-6100 marimba. This modern concert marimba design, with a five-octave range, was developed with Abe in collaboration with the Yamaha Corporation over fifteen years (1969 to 1984).
In May 2021, she was one of 10 new members elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, along with Marika Field, Katarina Karnéus, Jonas Knutsson, Sten Sandell, Đuro Živković, Richard Sparks, Giancarlo Andretta, Stefan Dohr and Quincy Jones.
Prism Rhapsody (2009)
This is a tour de force marimba concerto that features some very flashy playing. With six-mallet sections, several cadences, and an aggressively fast finale that never lets up on energy, this piece is an excellent choice for concert competitions. During the concerto, the player will engage in light improvisation, fast two-mallet playing, and tricky timing situations between the soloist and the accompaniment.