IT’S a fair assumption to make that most people think an A has always been an A. But an A, in musical terms, has not always been an A – in the time of Bach and Mozart it was a little lower.

Which may mean those listening to the former’s Magnificat and the latter’s C minor Mass at Worcester Cathedral will be a little surprised by the sound that emanates from the orchestra on Saturday, October 8.

Rejouissance will be accompanying the Midland Festival Chorus on early 18th century instruments – either genuine or replicas – meaning the audience will get to hear the same sound as the two great composers would have imagined and then heard as they created their pieces.

Malcolm Goldring, the chorus’s conductor, said the explanation for the different sound was simply the strings – in the 18th century, they played on gut strings. Now, we play on steel.

“With the development of instruments over the years the sound has changed,” said Mr Goldring. “It’s going to have this feel of sounding different – the sound is lower. It’s a bit more in keeping with the sound of the period. It’s a much softer sound, much lighter.”

Which could be a bit of a challenge for the amateur choir, which will have just two days to rehearse together and get used to the slight note changes before the big performance.

This unusual set-up – two days, then a performance featuring professional soloists alongside the professional orchestra – has in fact worked for almost four decades.

The Midland Festival Chorus started life 37 years ago in a church in Leicestershire with just 35 people and a weekend of rehearsing before a Sunday night concert.

It was a one off but then proved so popular that they decided to meet again the next year. And the year after that.

In that time, it has moved from small church to large cathedral, from county to county and grown in size to today’s 240 members.

However, the premise has remained largely the same over the years.

Each year, about 90 sopranos, 90 altos, 40 basses and 25 tenors sign up and spend months perfecting their parts before meeting up with the rest of the choir conducted, as it has been from the very beginning, by Mr Goldring.

Which is why, despite the enormous challenge of just two days’ rehearsal and a sound lower than anyone in the choir is likely to be used to, he is not worried.

“The stick goes down on that first Saturday and I have no idea what kind of sound is going to come out,” he admitted. “But we’ve done concerts with period instruments before and it’s never been an issue – except there are some people who have perfect pitch or relative pitch.

“Those who have that may find it does not feel quite right. I need to prepare them for that.”

The concert takes place at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost from £8 to £21, with concessions available on £16 or £21 seats. To book, call the Worcester Live box office on 01905 611427.

For more information on Midland Festival Chorus, visit midlandfestivalchorus.org.

Looking to the future

THE concert is not just a chance to look to the past – the Midland Festival Chorus also prides itself on its younger members.

This year, young people will once again be joining the choir – some from as far away as Germany – as part of the Young Singers Scheme, which encourages those aged 15 to 25 to get involved both with the concert itself, as well as a “singing day”

in May.

Phil Hanson, deputy headteacher of Pershore High School, is an advocate of music as a great educational tool – which means opportunities like these are not to be missed.

“Singing complex music with a professional orchestra is a great challenge for the students and a great opportunity for those studying music at GCSE and Alevel,”

said Mr Hanson, who will be singing in the chorus this year.

“Learning to work as part of a team, listening to others and mixing with people of all ages gives students confidence and, we hope, a life-long love of taking on a challenge and learning something new.

“I am looking forward to this year’s Midland Festival Chorus, as are the students.”

Andrew Hemming, a 16-year-old Year 12 Pershore High School student, agreed. He said: “Singing with such a big regional choir and orchestra in the cathedral means you really have to step up and perform, but it’s a tremendous experience that takes us to a whole new level.”