G. W. Sandy Schaefer

Music of Japan Today III: Tradition & Innovation


Abstract:
The Marimba Compositions of Keiko Abe
Until 1942, when Paul Creston's *Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra* was performed by Ruth Suber, the mallet instruments were thought of as novelty instruments. Since the marimba is still relatively new as a solo instrument, the vocabulary of applicable techniques are in flux. Performers regularly stretch the bounds of technique and make their discoveries known to composers.

Keiko Abe is one of the world's leading marimba innovators, and through her 1968 concert for the Arts Festival by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs the marimba was "finally recognized as an instrument for classical music." As a composer, Abe's music uses techniques she discovered through improvisation and later refined in the compositional process. Abe often uses three of the player's four mallets to establish an impressionistic undercurrent while the fourth mallet expresses the melodic content - often a simple Japanese folk song like *Sakura.* The rhythmic patterns developed between the mallets challenge the performer and advance the language of marimba techniques.

This lecture-recital will include *Miche,* *Little Windows,* and *Dream of the Cherry Blossoms* with a demonstration of Abe's marimba innovations.

G.W. Sandy Schaefer
G.W. Sandy Schaefer - D.M.A., M.M., B.S., is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, formerly at California State University Fresno and the University of Wyoming. Dr. Schaefer is active in all areas of percussion and his performances include work with symphony orchestras and contemporary chamber groups as well as jazz combos, big bands, and theater orchestras. He has recorded with Ensemble 21 and the American Serenade Band on Summit Records, Carlos Nakai on Canyon Records, and has released a collection of percussion ensemble compositions on WSMA Records. Currently, he is president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, principal percussionist with the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, and founder of the Fox Valley Percussion Group. Additionally, several of his arrangements for marimba ensemble have been published and performed throughout the United States.

Lecture: