Royal sunset & Fountain of innocence
Dirge
The next morning, I added a clarinet part to the composition while imagining another musician in the sombre parade. I also realized that the independent concertina and guitar parts needed to be separated.. The lower wind-blown tones of the clarinet blends with the higher tones emitted through the concertina’s bellows while interweaving with the resonant dobro bass line. The guitar part in the reprise provides hope and renewal. S.R. Bender
Memory of a Drowned Town
Memory of a Drowned Town
The river washed my house away,
I always liked the view.
The rocks that I had piled up,
Tumbled away and broke through.
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My cat climbed into the highest tree,
My dog just ran away.
Only the old rooster,
Took command of the bay.
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Down in the valley so far below,
Lay a wasted town.
Some people found their old row boats,
The rest must have drowned.
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We never thought the storm would come,
To our sacred isle.
This is what comes to the best of us,
When we live our lives in denial.
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Sanford Ross Bender – Copyright: 12.30.2015
Silver Sky of Sadness
Clarinet, Concertina, and Guitar Trio in A minor
Elephant Concert
“Elephant Concert” originated during an animation course that I participated in in the early 1980’s. The original film was created with colored paints on celluloid. The story was about an elephant man who plays his cello while sounding the clarinet-like melody through his trunk. The unappreciative audience soon becomes unruly and resorts to heckling as an expression of their ignorance.
The original music was played on violin and clarinet. The current music composed for clarinet and guitar heartily welcomes an improvised or composed violoncello part to play along with the guitar and clarinet.
The emotionally upset performers quickly make their exit from the intolerant city. The elephant man leaps upon his bicycle and pedals furiously as his companion, the violoncello skips alongside.
The duo finally finds consolation after a well deserved rest in the countryside. Their appetites will soon be appeased as they gaze into the aromatic delicatessen that will soon be opening for business.
Polar Ardor
I am excited to share news about the short film Polar Ardor, my musical collaboration with animator Camille Wainer.
POLAR ARDOR
A short animation about polar life and love.
Inspired by the paper cut style of early animator Lotte Reiniger, Polar Ardor incorporates the additive techniques of woodblock stamping and Chine-collé printmaking to recreate a delicate landscape threatened by division and deterioration. The whimsical music of composer/architect Sanford Bender accompanies each stage of the polar bear’s journey through a varied composition using only two symbolic forms (the heart and the puzzle piece). Simply and subtly, Polar Ardor offers an optimistic message about the importance of collaboration and compassion in the face of an uncertain future.
Release: 2021
Length: 1.33 minutes
ANIMATION BY : Camille Wainer
MUSIC BY: Sanford Bender
PRODUCED BY: Documinute Productions LLC
You can watch the trailer below and check out Camille’s other films on her website.