Tapping into GF members' collective musiconsciousnesstream

Svengali

Here's a unique request going out to all GF members:

The background:

I've been playing accompaniment piano for a children's choir I will not name for 9 years.
Then I quit for practical reasons but also cause I couldn't stand their repertoire any longer. (They practice four hours a week and have been singing certain choices of music for multiple years - so it's not just a question of biting the bullet)

Now I've rejoined them after a six month break after having been implored to do so and considering it a nescesary evil to reach certain goals in my own life.
Pacifist that I am, I've never let on more than could be helped the chagrin I felt towards many aspects of what my job entailed (having to play from photo copies, in semidarkness sometimes and on piano stools, of inadaquite hight to various degrees as well as on instruments in varying states of disfunction not to mention the occasional electronic monstrosity) and I will not get personal regarding my boss (the conductor) and all the frustration her peculiar human make-up brings with it.

More than anything, however, I am appalled at their choice in repertoire.
Let me qualify - I do believe in good and bad music which has nothing to do with taste (I happen to believe in good and bad taste too).
Secondly I can make allowances for the specific traditions and challenges that is involved in choral singing.
However. I am considering adressing this issue.
I know my opinions carry weight and since I will most probably be around for the next year at least and I have just about reached the maximum level I can take of putting up with certain people's incompetence and accompanying smuggness in general I am devicing a plan which is as follow:

The plan:

I will write a friendly letter to the conductor touching on issues such as the effectiveness of certain examples of music; their originality, practical vallue, merits in terms of musical excellence, etc., etc.
Of course I would have to illustrate, making use of appropriate examples. Here's where you guys come in:

The question:

They are currently working on a Chris de Burgh song which they reckon will be the pinnacle of popularity during their year concert: 'The Crusader'. What I prupose to do is let you guys have the chord progression and what I need is for you to please let me know of any songs that make use of this cliched, formulaic, boring, unoriginal, musically unjustifiable string of repetitiveness.

I know there's plenty - I've heard them - just normally would switch off and can't think of any examples off hand. It's usually employed by 'artists'either suffering from illusions of grandeur or considering themselves on a quest to change the world (or accompanying movie images of characters either suffering from illusions of grandeur or considering themselves on a quest to change the world.)

It's meant to sound epic (I have nothing against epic - I just think some composers / songwriters found better ways of achieving it.)

The song bassically contains ( a lot of ) this:

Verse:

Am Am Am Am
C C C C
D D D D
F G Am Am (repeat 500 times [or so it seems]

Chorus:

Am G F F
F G Am Am
Am G F F
F G Am Am (repeat 5000 times - for real!)

[I've written out some chords multiple times to convey the harmonic rhythm - to get an idea, strum each chord once for every time it appears]

Couple this with a talking style of singing (irregular rhythms and many syllables sung to single pitches and a narritve lyric which will be difficult to follow within choir context), I cannot believe this is to be their grand finale (and I have to suffer endless rehearsals, playing this rubbish).

Mind you I love blues and talking blues which is also formulaic, but at least their exponents display some artistry when executing these genres.

Help me avoid this in future by maybe getting a say when the program is decided on by letting those suggestions of like songs come in, please?

[deleted]

Great read....hope I can help. Off the top of my head I can just think of House of the Rising Sun. I'll have to Youtube "The Crusader" to hear which is worse.

Jacquesg4j

This will help folks that might help... I can't think of anything!

Svengali

Viccy wrote Great read....hope I can help. Off the top of my head I can just think of House of the Rising Sun. I'll have to Youtube "The Crusader" to hear which is worse.

I actually never thought of House of the Rising Sun as such a bad song - just disproportionally popular and as a result - hackneyed.
Viccy - if you gave The Crusader a listen, you will have to agree that it takes the cake, so to speak.
The difference is that the harmonic rhythm of HOTRS is a little less square. It also contains a couple of ordinary V (5th) or dominant chords (E in Am) wich means it's not attempting to be so rigidlay modal.

AlanRatcliffe

The Crusader isn't that bad - nice dynamics at least. You want repetetive? Try Ravel's Bolero. ? In both cases, it's all in how you do the arrangement. Ever see Victor Borge do Happy Birthday as it would have been composed by all the different composers?

Svengali

Alan Ratcliffe wrote The Crusader isn't that bad - nice dynamics at least. You want repetetive? Try Ravel's Bolero. ? In both cases, it's all in how you do the arrangement. Ever see Victor Borge do Happy Birthday as it would have been composed by all the different composers?

Jip. I still have some LP records with Victor Borge stuff.
I get your point. Mozart wrote variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but I doubt he would have written something similar to accompany a highly dramatic scene from one of his operas. I may have some other issues clouding my judgement, but The Crusader sure ain't the type of song that will have me wax lyrical abour musical content. ?
Maybe what gets to me more is the unoriginality of it, because I know I've heard these progressions LOTS of times...