It is during times like these that music is needed to warm the soul.
Philip Cox, Pridwin Preparatory School’s very-own jazz band conductor starred in a video rendition of Amazing Grace alongside the KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestras.
The video was arranged by Eddy Clayton (who wears many hats) the Johannesburg Orchestra’s education concert and ballet conductor as well as the orchestra artistic manager Polina Burdokova.
Clayton wrote an arrangement of Amazing Grace for the players who were able to record themselves. He chose the trumpet as the primary instrument and Cox was approached to contribute to the film.
“I am also the Johannesburg Philharmonic’s principal trumpet player,” said Cox.
As there could not be ‘a live conductor’, Clayton laid down a ‘click track’ (ongoing pulse) and an audio guide track for the duration of the piece.
Cox explained, “We all recorded our separate parts according to the written music and Eddie’s vocal directions within the audio guide track. After submitting our video recordings, the visuals and audio were separated, the visual was made with the audio still as the guide and the audio was mixed separately.”
After the two were completed, Clayton combined them again and then rendered the final copy.
Cox then laughed, “Hey Presto! Fabulous what you can do with a bunch of iPhones!”
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